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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24514654">Definition of love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Existinghere/pseuds/Existinghere'>Existinghere</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Cute Kids, Depression, Fluff, Gay, Long-Term Relationship(s), Making Out, Other, Panic Attacks, Romance, Slice of Life, alluding to sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:40:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>54,914</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24514654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Existinghere/pseuds/Existinghere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark didn't understand love at first. His family only loved because they had to. So when Mark met a gorgeous boy who made his heart beat faster, he decided that love was a choice.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Heartache</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey! This is my first fanfic. I have written all of it already and will keep posting if people like it. Thanks!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark didn't understand the word love. He knew the dictionary definition, but he didn't understand it. At least romantic love. That's how it was in his family.<br/>
Mark's mom and dad had an arranged marriage and they were anything but in love. His mother loved him. She was soft on him and cuddled him when he fell down and read him a story at night.<br/>
His father on the other hand was stoic. Mark could never tell what he was thinking. He was gone most of the time on business. He wasn't cruel or anything like that but he was emotionally unavailable. Maybe that was because the pressure to keep the family wealthy and to lead his business was all he could handle.<br/>
The other love Mark got was from his older brother Taeyong. He was 4 years older than Mark, but he loved him like he was his child. Taeyong would give him advice and comfort him when he was feeling sad.<br/>
Mark didn't understand romantic love because he didn't know it existed. He knew he was going to get married when he's around 25 and he knows he won't know her. He knows it really doesn't matter if he likes her. Because that's how all the Lee's got married.<br/>
Mark was okay with that because he never knew what romantic love was. </p><p>Mark grew up in a house more like a mansion. There were 4 floors and 15 rooms, not including the pool house. He had a lot of cousins and played with them mostly. When he was 8 years old he asked his father if he could have a friend over for the first time.<br/>
"Who is it?" His father replied with suspicion in his voice.<br/>
"His name is Yukhei! He's in my class," Mark replied with a sparkle in his eyes. He bounced on the heel of his foot, waiting for a yes or no.<br/>
"Last name?"<br/>
"Uh, Wong. Wong Yuk-Hei. He's Chinese and Thai!"<br/>
"Hmmm… the Wong's own a restaurant chain don't they? How would that be useful to our company…. Yes, he can come over," his dad always thought of life through a business lense. How can it benefit me? What's the point of this relationship? So, needless to say his dad did not have many "friends".<br/>
"Yay! Thank you! " Mark jumped up and down and hugged his father's legs, because of the height difference. Then he ran to his room to bring out the toys he wanted to show his friend.<br/>
The phone rang in the house and his father picked it up. Mark ran downstairs knowing it was Yukhei's dad. He stood eagerly by his father's chair.<br/>
"Yes, how are your restaurants doing?" His father asked. They continued the conversation for at least 15 minutes, but Mark felt like it was hours. As soon as his dad hung up, he asked the question he'd been wanting to.<br/>
"Is he coming???"<br/>
"Yes. He will be here in 15 minutes," his father said and gave him a slight smile before going back to his work. His father wasn't completely void of emotion. He still loved his kids. He still was kind to his wife. He was just too busy to care about most things that didn't directly matter to him.<br/>
Mark was used to that, he got all his comfort from his mother. His mother tried to make him talk through his emotions. His parents played different roles in his life. </p><p>Mark waited at the door like a puppy excited for his owner to come home. When the doorbell rang he jumped up and swung the big white door open.<br/>
"Hi, Mark!!" Yukhei said with a smile on his face. Mark's smile spread across his whole face. </p><p>Since that day they became best friends, spending the night at each other's houses and talking about their dreams and the good and the bad. Mark knew what platonic love was from him. He cherished his friend dearly. </p><p>When Mark was 13 he asked God why people had to die. Mark was raised reading the Bible and going to church, though it was more of a social gathering for his parents, he took it seriously. He fully believed God had a plan for him and that Jesus died so he could have a relationship with God. Mark read his Bible everyday and prayed for his friends and family. He was even in the church choir. His voice was soft when he sang amazing Grace. </p><p>Mark ran across the school parking lot with his backpack to his brother's Jeep. He got in the car and shook his wet hair.<br/>
"Hey, watch where you're dripping!" Taeyong said with an annoyed tone.<br/>
"Sorry," Mark said as he relaxed into his seat. It had been a long day. He had two tests and two essays due Monday. Thank God it's the weekend he thought.<br/>
"Rough day?" His brother asked as he drove out of the parking lot. Taeyong always picked Mark up at his middle school even though taeyong was a junior in high school. Taeyong liked spending those car rides with him. He didn't want the family driver picking him up and Mark not talking about his day.<br/>
"Yeah, I've got loads of homework too. 8th grade sucks," Mark groaned. Taeyong chuckled a bit.<br/>
"Yeah, I remember it feeling like a lot. You'll get through it though."<br/>
"Yeah… can't wait until Thanksgiving break."<br/>
Taeyong silently nodded. They pulled into their gigantic driveway.<br/>
The house was white with gold trim, it had spires and at least 10 windows on the front side. Mark liked how it looked. He always said it looked like a house in a mystery novel. Mark loved reading and writing. He didn't care for math or science, even though his brother enjoyed math a lot.<br/>
"Mom's not home yet," taeyong said, not seeing their mom's Lexus in the garage.<br/>
They parked and got out of the car, rain still pouring down. They unlocked the door and went inside.<br/>
Something seemed off, there were no servants, no Cooks in the house.<br/>
Mark and Taeyong weren't used to coming home to an empty house. Usually there was Miss. Rita, the maid or Chef Park. Or at least the driver Mr. Kim. But no one was there.<br/>
Mark walked into the kitchen after putting his house shoes on. He found a note on the counter and picked it up.</p><p>Dear boys,<br/>
I ordered the staff to take a day off. I'll be home with groceries soon and we can cook together! Let's have a family night! I love you two! If you get hungry before I get back there is some fruit in the fridge.<br/>
Love<br/>
Mom♥️</p><p>"Mom told the staff to go home. We are making dinner together!" Mark yelled to Taeyong in the other room. Taeyong made a noise in acknowledgement. Mark took some grapes out of the fridge and popped one in his mouth as he texted his best friend Yukhei.</p><p>To: Lucas big hands<br/>
Hey, can we study together this weekend?</p><p>To: Mark big head<br/>
Yeah! We have so much homework I want to die 😭😫</p><p>To:Lucas big hands<br/>
Ikr! Tomorrow at noon? Want to sleep over too? I think my mom will say yes. </p><p>To: Mark big head<br/>
Yes! My dad is being so annoying 😡. I need to get out of the house. </p><p>To:Lucas big hands<br/>
Stay strong 💪 see you tomorrow! Love you. </p><p>To:Mark big head<br/>
Love you too BFFL</p><p>Mark smiled and put his phone down. He heard the doorbell ring and Taeyong's footsteps in the hallway. Who could that be? He thought. He popped another grape in his mouth.<br/>
"Min-Hyung!" Taeyong said with panic? Worry? In his voice. Mark walked into the hallway and saw his brother standing at the door talking to two figures, in police uniforms. Mark froze. Why are they here?<br/>
Taeyong looked back at his brother with tears in his eyes.<br/>
Mark slowly walked towards the door, his heart pounding fast.<br/>
"Is this your brother?" The officer asked. Taeyong nodded. "We couldn't get ahold of your father"<br/>
"What's going on?" Mark whispered out. He was scared of the answer.<br/>
"Your mother was in a car accident. Drunk driver swerved off the road and hit her car. She's in the hospital." Mark's heart dropped. His knees felt weak and he collapsed. Taeyong tried to catch him, but it was so sudden. Everything felt like it was in slow motion, tears were escaping his eyes but he didn't feel them. He could see Taeyong calling his name but he couldn't hear him. Taeyong helped him up and helped him put his shoes on.<br/>
Mark followed Taeyong into the police car, but wasn't sure what was happening. Taeyong held his hand trying to anchor him. Mark squeezed it tightly.<br/>
Their father was on a business trip. He was in Korea and was supposed to be back in two days. Taeyong called his cell, his face timed him, and called his work phone, but no answer.<br/>
Taeyong was handling this surprisingly well. He wasn't crying, wasn't panicking. Internally he was freaking out but Mark didn't need to know that. He had to be strong, his little brother needed him.<br/>
Taeyong called their Aunt, Ha-Sun.<br/>
"Hello? "<br/>
"H-hi," his voice wavered for a second.<br/>
"Taeyongie! It's nice to hear from you. How have you been?"<br/>
"Uh, our mom.. got in a car accident. She's at the hospital. We are going there now. Dad won't answer his phone…"<br/>
"Oh… " she sighs " I'm on my way. It will take me three hours to get there. Can you handle that?" Taeyong makes a hmm sound.<br/>
"Is Min-Hyung with you?"<br/>
"Yes," he says as he looks over to his crying brother. He's looking out the window slowly crying with his hand laying limply in his brother's.<br/>
"I'm on my way. Take care of him until I get there, okay?"<br/>
"I will," Taeyong says quietly.<br/>
"Hang in there. I'm on my way. I love you guys," she says. Taeyong wants to cry, he wants to son into the phone and let his aunt make him feel better, but he can't.<br/>
"Love you too… " he says as she hangs up.<br/>
They get to the hospital and go to the emergency room and wait. They can't see her yet because she's in surgery.<br/>
Mark hasn't said a word since they got the news. They sit in the waiting room. Mark stopped crying when they got in the hospital.<br/>
"T-taeyong?" His brother squeezes out. Taeyong turns to the younger one who has red eyes from crying. "W-what if she dies?"<br/>
"Shh, she won't. Don't worry," Taeyong reassures him. Mark looks at him and bursts into tears. Taeyong hugs Mark tightly. Mark quietly sobs into his chest. He rubs circles into his back.<br/>
After a half an hour Mark's stomach grumbles. He had stopped crying and started staring at the wall.<br/>
"Are you hungry?" Taeyong asks. Mark shrugs. "I'll get you something," Taeyong goes to the vending machines, one has soda, one has cheap snacks like chips and poptarts. He puts some quarters in and gets a bag of trail mix for Mark and a granola bar for himself. Just as he pressed the button his phone rings. He reaches for the snacks then pulls out his phone. He sees who it is and answers immediately.<br/>
"Dad," he says, his voice betraying him again.<br/>
"Sorry I just woke up. Time difference is big. You called me a bunch, what's wrong?"<br/>
"Mom… Mom is… she got hit by a car. She's in the hospital. I'm here with Min-Hyung. She's in surgery," Taeyong let out in a humble of words. His father is silent.<br/>
"Im scheduling a flight back right now. How are you doing?" This is the first time someone has asked how he is, he let out a choked sob.<br/>
"N-not good," Taeyong said quietly.<br/>
"It's a lot. But you have to be strong for Min-Hyung. Untill I get there. Can you do that for me?"<br/>
"Yeah. I can… I called Aunt Ha-Sun. She's coming… "<br/>
"Okay good. I can't get out of this meeting today so I'll be there in a day or so," he said, understanding drifting from his tone. Taeyong was mad. Mad that he didn't run to help his children. His Aunt came running to them.<br/>
"Stay strong. Keep me in touch," he said as he hung up. Taeyong was mad. He wiped the tears on his face and walked over to Mark. He handed him the trail mix.<br/>
"Eat, please." Mark nodded and opened it up. He couldn't taste anything and he wanted to spit it out, but he kept chewing because he knew he needed to eat.<br/>
"Dad called. He said he'd be back as soon as he can… " Taeyong said. Mark turned to him. Mark had puppy dog eyes. He wanted to see his dad badly. He wanted to hug his dad, he wanted to be comforted by him even though he's not that kind of person.<br/>
A doctor stepped out and called their names. They leapt up and we're lead to a room in the ICU. They were on the 7th floor, in the Neuro department. The rooms were clean. They smelled of bleach and the walls were gray.<br/>
They entered the room and saw their mom in a bed with a tube stuck down her throat. She had scrapes all over her face and arms. Her leg was in a cast and her head was bandaged.<br/>
Mark ran over to her and held her hand, sobbing. Taeyong stayed 10 ft away. He was scared to move forward, scared he would start crying.<br/>
A doctor walked in. Pulled Taeyong out and told him what surgery she had and that she had brain damage. The doctor said they should go home and rest as it was now 1am.</p><p>Taeyong entered the room and Mark was still clung to their mom.<br/>
"Mark?" He didn't answer, "mark! Min-Hyung? Min-Hyung!?" Mark finally looked at him.<br/>
"We need to go. Visiting hours are over. We need rest."<br/>
"No. If I go she might… " Taeyong moved closer to him and wiped a year of his cheek.<br/>
"Hey.. it's okay. We can't do anything for her right now. The doctors will take care of her, okay?" Mark nodded and kissed her hand before they were off.<br/>
By the time they got home it was 2am and they were exhausted. They walked into the empty house and it suddenly seemed too big.<br/>
They were hungry and tired but they couldn't sleep and didn't have the energy to cook. Mark sat on the couch and stared off.<br/>
Suddenly the doorbell rang and Taeyong froze. He didn't know who it could be and was scared it was bad news again.<br/>
He forced himself to open it. It was his Aunt and his two cousins. His Aunt hugged him immediately.<br/>
"I'm so sorry, Taeyongie." Taeyong started to sob in her arms. He felt like he could release something that he was holding in for hours. She rubbed his back. After a minute he composed himself and let them in. Jaehyun, his 15 year old cousin gave him a hug.<br/>
"I'm sorry, dude," he said as he entered.<br/>
His younger cousin, Jaemin, who was 12 walked behind him giving him a hug.</p><p>All five of them talked and their Aunt made them food.<br/>
"I'm going to head to bed," their Aunt said. She smiled at all four boys. She kissed each of them on the cheek. They said their good nights and now it was just the four boys in the living room.<br/>
"We haven't been together like this since… our summer vacation," Jaemin said, running his hands through his light brown hair.<br/>
"Yeah, that was a fun trip. Remember when Johnny ate dirt while we were running around the pool? " Jaehyun asked. Mark smiled at the thought of their cousin, Johnny, falling. Jaemin laughed and Taeyong chuckled. They felt light for just a moment, talking about all the stupid things they did.<br/>
"It's 6am, we should probably sleep," Jaehyun said, checking his phone. They all stood up except for Mark.<br/>
"What's wrong?" Taeyong asked.<br/>
"I-I… don't want to sleep alone… " Mark said quietly. They all glanced at each other.<br/>
"Hey! Maybe we can make a fort and all sleep under it like old times!" Jaemin suggested.<br/>
"Yeah!" Jaehyun agreed.<br/>
They all got in their PJs and then went into the spare room with two twin beds and a couch. They took the mattresses off and put them in the middle of the room. They took sheets and made a tent over the beds, draping it on the couch. They all got inside, Jaehyun, Taeyong, Mark, then Jaemin. They were laying close to each other, but they didn't mind. Mark held Taeyong's hand.<br/>
"Goodnight, everyone!" Jaemin said in his normal high energy voice. Everyone mumbled a goodnight and Mark fell fast asleep surrounded by his family</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Family is important</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few days were a blur. They all woke up, went to the hospital and then ate, got Starbucks that was in the hospital then went home at an unreasonable hour and slept.<br/>
Their Aunt was loving and kind. And their cousins made them laugh and cried with them.<br/>
It had been 2 days and their mom still wasn't awake.<br/>
Mark prayed everyday that God would heal their mom. He prayed that his dad would come back and he prayed that everything would be normal soon. </p><p>One afternoon as they got to the hospital, they walked into the room to see their mother awake. Mark ran to her.<br/>
"Mom!" He hugged her the best he could with her breathing tube and wires in the way. Their mom tried to smile.<br/>
"Mom, do you remember what happened?" Taeyong asked. Holding onto Mark's shoulders.<br/>
She shook her head.<br/>
"You got in a car accident. But you're okay now. Aunt Ha-Sun is staying with us and Jaemin and Jaehyun. They're getting coffee." Mark said. His mom slowly lifted her hand and tousled his hair. Mark smiled. She looked up at Taeyong and smiled, her eyes saying thank you. Taeyong smiled back and nodded.<br/>
Mark spent the day talking her mom's head off, they all were more lively now that she was awake. She drifted in and out of sleep.<br/>
"Let's head out, she seems pretty tired," their Aunt said. They all hurried into the car, excited to see her again tomorrow. "How about we go see a movie?" They all agreed that that sounded great.<br/>
Taeyong looked over at his brother and saw how his smile was brighter, his eyes didn't threaten to cry Everytime he thought of his mom.<br/>
All was good. </p><p>That night their Dad came home. It was 1am and He looked exhausted. All the boys were asleep in the fort they had made. Not knowing what they would wake up to.<br/>
He hugged his sister in law. And he cried for the first time in years. Ha-Sun cried too. Weeping for their lost friend. Mr. Lee wasn't in love with Mark and Taeyong's mom like a normal person was, but he loved her even so. They were partners. Parenting together, living life next to each other.<br/>
They grew up together, their families deciding that they should be married even before they were 10 years old.<br/>
He loved her like a beloved friend.<br/>
And now she is gone.<br/>
There had been complications with her brain. All the trauma caused a stroke. And she was dead within 15 minutes. He had gone to the hospital to see her and she smiled at him, then she was gone.<br/>
"How can I keep going? I don't know how to parent two teenagers. Who just lost their mother!" He said through tears.<br/>
"It's okay, brother… You're not alone." She rubbed his back. Ha-Sun grew up with them as well. She was meant to marry his brother, but they were all friends. Him, Hye-Ji (Mark and Taeyong's mom) and her and her husband.<br/>
"I'll talk to Joo-Won, maybe we can move back here to help. He takes business trips often so it won't matter much."<br/>
As they were talking they didn't hear a young 13 year old boy creep down the steps to get water. He heard everything. Mark felt like the world was crashing around him. He had just seen her, she couldn't be gone. He burst into tears on the steps, not being able to control it. His father heard him.<br/>
"Min-Hyung?" He called out. Mark ran to him with tears in his eyes. He hugged his father and for the first time in a while, he hugged back. "It's going to be okay…"<br/>
Mark spent the night in his father's bed. He breathed into the pillow that still smelled of Jasmine, his mom's perfume. His father slept next to him, enjoying the feeling of another person next to him. Mark felt like a kid again.<br/>
When he was younger when he'd have bad dreams he would go into their room and snuggle in-between his parents.<br/>
Mark wished this was all just a bad dream. He wished, he prayed that he'd wake up and none of it would be real. He prayed that he'd wake up and his mom would be making pancakes downstairs.<br/>
God felt his pain and cried with him, but he couldn't take away the consequences of someone else's sin.<br/>
When Mark woke up the bed no longer held his dad. He woke up with a headache from crying. Mark rubbed his eyes and smelled something in the air. Pancakes!<br/>
Mark ran downstairs hoping to see his mom in her apron, cooking pancakes with a smile. He almost ran into the wall he was walking so fast. He peered into the kitchen and saw a woman making pancakes. He got so excited he ran to her.<br/>
"Mom!" He hugged her waist. The woman turned around and Mark realized it wasn't his mom but his Aunt.<br/>
"Good morning Min-Hyung. Sorry I confused you," she said with a look of pitty in her eyes. He let go of her and hung his head. Taeyong and his cousins were in the living room, crying and not talking after they found out.<br/>
Mark walked into the big living room with three couches and an armchair.<br/>
The walls were painted a light yellow. It gave off a feel of happiness and lightness. But now was a time for anything but that.</p><p>As time went on, the pain got easier to carry. Aunt Ha-Sun, Jaehyun and Jaemin moved into the big house. Along with their uncle Joo-Won, but he was away on business most of the time.<br/>
Mark's father had become even more emotionally unavailable since their mom's death. He hid himself in his study when he was home, which was not very often. His temper was shorter and he avoided his children.<br/>
Taeyong tried to make Mark feel loved even though his father didn't. It was Christmas Eve when someone knocked at the door.<br/>
Mark and his cousins were playing smash Bros in the living room, shouting at each other as their Aunt read a book in the same room. Taeyong was watching them play. Happy that Mark wasn't sad. Their father was in his study and their uncle was in a business meeting.<br/>
The doorbell rang. Ha-Sun stood up and walked to the door, they had gotten rid of most of the staff, as Ha-Sun liked cooking and cleaning.<br/>
She opened the door and saw a familiar face. She was beautiful with black hair, but had a bruise on her cheek, and a red ring around her neck.<br/>
"Ah-Ra! What happened??" The woman nodded to her two kids behind her. The elder one,about 16 years old had a hand with bloody knuckles. His black hair covered his eyes as he looked down. The younger one, about 10, stood next to his brother. His hair was also black, but his face was seen and he was trembling. "Come in," she said.<br/>
"Doyoung, and Jisung, you can go in to see the boys," they walked to the living room as Ha-Sun asked what had happened and if they were okay.<br/>
When the boys entered the room, everyone stopped yelling and playing.<br/>
"Jisung!" Mark jumped up and hugged the little boy. They were his cousins on his mother's side. They lived in Korea most of the time so they didn't get see each other very much. Jisung started crying in Mark's embrace.<br/>
"What's wrong??" Mark looked towards Doyoung. Doyoung shook his head as if saying not right now. Mark nodded and hugged Jisung tighter.<br/>
Taeyong stood up and hugged Doyoung. Doyoung resisted the hug, like if he let himself go he'd break down.<br/>
"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Jaemin!" He said standing up. They had met once or twice when they were younger and they had a family event in Korea.<br/>
"Yes, I remember. Good to see you again, and you too Jaehyun." Doyoung said with a slight smile, a forced one. Taeyong noticed Doyoung's bloody knuckles and he took his hand and dragged him into the kitchen.<br/>
He took a wet rag and wetted it. He started cleaning off his hand.<br/>
"What happened?"<br/>
"Guess." Doyoung stated. Taeyong looked him in the eyes and sighed.<br/>
"What did he do this time?" Taeyong got the first-aid kit and started treating Doyoung's cuts.<br/>
"He strangled her. He almost hit Jisung and… he punched our Mom. I punched him twice and we ran." Doyoung said quietly. Taeyong bandaged his wound. He put a hand on his shoulder.<br/>
"I'm here for you," he said. Doyoung nodded and he sighed.<br/>
"Jisung was so scared… he's only 10. He doesn't deserve this." Doyoung slammed his hand on the table in frustration.<br/>
"Calm down, you're here and safe. I'm sure my father will let you stay here. " Doyoung breathed deeply. They walked back into the living room and saw Mark and Jaemin trying to teach Jisung how to play the video game as Jaehyun chuckled. </p><p>The Lee's house seemed like a safe haven to people. Soon there were 6 boys, 2 fathers and 2 mothers living underneath the roof. It felt less empty and more like home. Mark liked being a Hyung to Jaemin and Jisung, it helped him stop focusing on his own pain and focus on others. Some days Mark missed his mother, but he pushed that feeling down.<br/>
That night Jisung, Jaemin, and Mark slept in the same room, talking about the future and Life.<br/>
"Hyungs? Does my dad hate me?" Jisung asked quietly. Mark and Jaemin looked at each other.<br/>
"No." Jaemin said.<br/>
"I'm sure he loves you, he's just not dealing with it correctly. Even if he loves you it's not right to hurt others. You guys just need to take a break from him," Mark said, petting Jisungs hair.<br/>
"Who wouldn't love you? You're adorable!" Jaemin said, pinching his cheeks. Jisung struggled out of his reach, but smiled anyway. </p><p>They woke up to the smell of pancakes. They ran down stairs. All of them clad in PJs ate.<br/>
"What did santa bring!?" Jisung asked. All of the cousins looked at each other. They hadn't known he still believed in santa. Luckily their Aunts were prepared.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark always pushed out his feelings. Whenever he got sad, he ignored it and moved on. There was a sneaking suspicion that those feelings would catch up to him, but he didn't care. <br/>Whenever his father would lose his temper on him, he would push those feelings down as well. He never got mad because he didn't know how to. </p><p>Senior year was when he met him. A new junior transferred to his school. Mark was sitting outside on a bench with Yukhei and Jaemin when he saw him. His skin was golden, the sun glinting off of him. His hair was light brown and his eyes sparkled in the sun. He couldn't help staring.<br/>"Who's that?" He whispered. Jaemin and Yukhei both turned their heads.<br/>"Oh, that's Donghyuck, he's new. He's in my English class." Jaemin said. "Why?" He asked with an eyebrow raised. <br/>"He's beautiful," Mark said, not realizing he said it out loud. <br/>"Ooo, Mark has a crush!" Yukhei said with a smile. Mark blushed and hit Yukhei on the shoulder. <br/>Mark knew he was different. He wasn't really attracted to girls, he thought they were nice, and wanted to be their friend, but he never dreamed about kissing them, they never made his heart beat faster. <br/>"I do not!" <br/>"Dude, it's okay to like guys. Pretty sure I'm Bi." Jaemin said calmly. <br/>"No- it's not that. I just said he was cute… I don't have a crush." <br/>" So he's cute and beautiful, huh?" Yukhei teased. Mark elbowed him in the gut and ate his sandwich. <br/>Their school was the richest one in the city. It educated all of the rich families heirs. The school wasn't as big as you'd expect, that's because the population was only 350 students. They liked to keep the numbers down because there weren't that many rich families, and for safety. No ordinary person could enroll because the tuition was as expensive as a car. All Mark's cousins went there. <br/>Taeyong had graduated when Mark was a freshman, Doyoung graduated next, then Jaehyun. He was the next in line to graduate. <br/>His elder cousins and brother live in a house bought by his family on the campus of a prestigious private University. Luckily there was a university 30 minutes from his home that was good enough for the Lee family. </p><p>The house was one of those huge houses that fraternities usually get. It had 10 bedrooms and 3 baths, a kitchen, washing room, living room, and study room. They also had a chief/maid that they called Ajumma. Mark would move in there after he graduated. <br/>It also housed some of their friends, Kun, Yukhei's cousin who was becoming a doctor and was a year older than Taeyong. Taeil, who was also in medical school. Johnny, who was the same age as Taeyong and was a philosophy major. Yuta, who was their age as well and a business major. Ten, who was Yukhei's cousin on his Thai side, who was studying dance and Doyoung's age.  Si-Cheng, who was Jaehyn's age and Yukhei's cousin too, who was studying dance as well. <br/>Mark's cousin Jungwoo also lived there, he was studying early childhood education. He was a year older than Mark, but graduated at the same time as Jaehyun. </p><p>Mark liked high school, he was popular with the girls and everyone liked him. He tried to be nice to every single person he met. <br/>"Woah! He's sitting with Jeno Lee," Yukhei said as he watched Donghyuck sit next to Jeno. Jeno was the mysterious popular boy. He was nice to everyone but never dated. He also didn't have many deep friendships. He was a junior as well and always had a crowd around him. They watched as Jeno hugged him and they sat next to each other. <br/>Are they together? Mark wondered.<br/>"Jeno is so hot," Jaemin said as he stared at the dark haired boy. Ever since freshman year Jaemin had a huge crush on Jeno. Jeno would call Jaemin a friend. They've done projects together and have hung out outside of school a couple times. But Jaemin liked him romantically. He loved his eye smile and the way his nose crinkled when he laughed. <br/>"Stop lusting over him," Yukhei rolled his eyes. "Just tell him you like him"<br/>"I don't even know if he likes boys," Jaemin said as he bit into a carrot. Mark chuckled at him. He was so passionate, yet so nervous about his crush. <br/>Soon the bell rang and they stood up to go inside. <br/>Jeno walked past them.<br/>"Jeno!" Jaemin called out. Mark looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed. Jeno and Donghyuck turned towards him. <br/>"Oh, hey Jaemin," Jeno smiled at him. <br/>"Do you want to go to a college party this weekend? My brother and his friends are hosting one." Jaemin said. Yukhei and Mark have him a look. They never heard of a party that their cousins were hosting.<br/>"Sure, sounds fun. Can Donghyuck come?" Jeno asked. Mark's heart beat faster as said boy looked at him. <br/>"Yeah! Totally." <br/>"Oh by the way, this is my cousin Donghyuck. This is Jaemin, Mark and Yukhei." Jeno said. They all said hi. <br/>"Text me the details!" Jeno said and then they were off.<br/>"What party?" Mark asked.<br/>"Oh, I made that up. But I'll make them have a party," Jaemin said as he walked inside. Mark and Yukhei sighed.<br/>"Your cousin is ridiculous," Yukhei said.<br/>"I know," Mark agreed.</p><p>Mark walked to AP Litterateur. He loved this class, the teacher was funny and he loved reading. He said hi to Irene and Joy as he entered. They were friends to a certain extent. He walked to his seat, second row, 3rd seat and sat down. Taking out his notebook and his poetry book. He looked next to him expecting to see Chad, who was on the basketball team with him, but was met with soft brown eyes. His breath caught in his throat. <br/>It was the boy with golden brown hair and a mole on his cheek. <br/>"Mark, right?" Mark's heart sped up.<br/>"Uh, yeah… Donghyuck, right?" Mark said, trying to calm himself.<br/>"Yeah!" He smiled. His smile lit up the room. Mark couldn't help but smile back. </p><p>Class started and Mark was distracted by the boy next to him. He hoped he wouldn't see the small glances he made at him. When the bell rang Mark packed up his bag fast. He wanted to stop feeling so nervous. <br/>"See you later, Mark!" Donghyuck called after him. He just waved in response as he ran out of the classroom.<br/>                     ------------------------------------------- </p><p>"I can't believe Hyung agreed to have a party," Mark said as he got dressed on Saturday morning. <br/>"He loves me too much!" Jaemin said as he did his hair in the joint bathroom mirror. Mark rolls his eyes. <br/>"I'm not sure why," Yukhei jokes. He lays on Mark's bed playing a game on his phone. <br/>"Jaemin! What should I wear?" Mark sighs frustrated.<br/>"Why? You want to impress someone?" Jaemin asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.<br/>"No… yes… shut up and help me!" Jaemin chuckled and went to his closet. He picked out a white T-shirt, leather jacket and dark washed jeans. <br/>"There!" Mark put it on. Jaemin wore black jeans, a white t-shirt and a denim button up over that. Yukhei wore ripped jeans, black shirt with a white jacket. He also wore 2 rings and small hoop earrings.<br/>"Are you guys done? We have to go help set up and the party's at 9:30," Yukhei said as he rolled off Mark's bed.<br/>"What time is it?" Mark asks as he fixes his hair.<br/>"8:00." <br/>"Shit, okay, let's go." <br/>Mark drives them to the house, which is 30 minutes away, so it gave Jaemin and Yukhei time to tease Mark about his crush. <br/>"Okay, maybe it is a crush… I've never really had a crush before… what do I do?" <br/>"Talk to him." Yukhei states simply. <br/>"Just befriend him and see where it goes!" Jaemin says. "I'm gonna make a move on Jeno." Yukhei and Mark look at each other.<br/>"Seriously, I am!" <br/>"Mmhm… " </p><p>When they get there they knock on the door and Ten answers.<br/>"Hey!" He hugs them each. "What took you so long? " <br/>"Sorry, traffic was bad," Mark said as he entered the house. In the foyer there was a big chandelier and two staircases leading the upstairs. Ten motions for them to follow and they enter the living room which has been formatted for a dance floor and hang out place. Kun and Jungwoo are in the kitchen. <br/>"Xuxi!" Kun yells and Yukhei comes to him and gives him a hug. <br/>"What are you making, Hyung?" <br/>"Homemade buffalo chicken dip!" He puts it in the oven, "by the way, have you met Jungwoo yet?" Jungwoo looks at Yukhei and smiles.<br/>"No, but Mark has talked about you." <br/>"Only good things I hope." <br/>"Of course. I'm Wong Yuk-Hei." They shake hands and Yukhei can't help but notice how beautiful Jungwoo's smile is. Jungwoo smiles through his light brown hair, his bangs nearly covering his eyes. </p><p>"Hyung!" Mark calls up the stairs. He's looking for his brother. He runs up the stairs and Makes his way to his room, which he shares with Doyoung. He knocks on the door. <br/>"Hmmm, come in."<br/>Mark enters his room. The walls are a light blue. Taeyong's bed has a purple bedspread on it. He has a mirror dresser and above the mirrors are pictures or him and his friends/ family. He's sitting at his desk, on his computer. He looks up and smiles. <br/>"Min-Hyung-ah."<br/>"Hey, Hyung!" Mark hugged him from behind. "Thanks for going along with Jaemin's crazy plan." Taeyong chuckles<br/>"Yeah, no problem. You guys will live here too." Taeyong starts typing again. <br/>"What are you doing?" Mark asks as he sits on his bed. <br/>"Dad wanted me to do some stock reports for him." Mark looked him in the eyes. There was an unsaid rule that Taeyong would inherit the business and become the president one day. He's being groomed to take over the company. </p><p>"Oh, does he ask you to do that often?" Mark twiddles his thumbs. He has always had it easier because his dad hasn't put a ton of pressure on him. He was even allowed to go to college for writing. Taeyong had to major in business. Even though he would rather go for chemistry or even dance. <br/>"No, not really. But he's preparing me cause my senior year I'll have to intern at the company." Taeyong typed his last word and hit submit. "Okay I'm done. Let's go downstairs and help the others." Taeyong and Mark headed downstairs. Ten and Johnny were fighting on where to put the punch bowl. </p><p>"Hey! Just put it next to the chips," Taeyong said. And they agreed. Taeyong was kind of like their leader. He kept the peace and encouraged them to do the best they could. <br/>"Mark-ah!" Johnny yelled as he saw the boy. Johnny enveloped him in a hug. Johnny was a good 5 inches taller than him. <br/>"Hi, Johnny." Mark smiled. Mark and Johnny were good friends since he moved into the house. They played video games together often. <br/>"I hear your crush is coming?" Johnny asked with raised eyebrows. Mark gave Jaemin a death glare, that he pretended not to see. <br/>"Uh… kinda. I don't know if he likes boys or not though." Taeyong looked at Mark with worried eyes. He knows Mark is gay, of course, but his father didn't and knows he wants him to marry a woman. </p><p>Soon they got music going and the party was about to start. A few college people entered, knowing them from classes. Soon there were 50 people in the house. Mark was waiting for a special someone to come through that door. <br/>"Hey, you okay?" Jungwoo asked him. Mark looked up at him and nodded. <br/>"Just a tad nervous, I've never had a crush." <br/>"Awe, baby's first crush!" Jungwoo pinched his cheeks. Mark forcibly took his hand off his cheek. <br/>"I'm not a baby… " <br/>"Mark, to us, you'll always be that little kid who ate chalk." <br/>"That was one time!" Mark threw his hands up. Jungwoo giggled at his frustration. <br/>The door opened and Jeno walked in with ripped black jeans and a white collared shirt with a black jeans jacket on. Jungwoo looked over at him. He'd have to admit he was pretty Hot. <br/>"I think he's here," Jungwoo pointed at the door. Mark looked and his jaw dropped. Donghyuck was wearing ripped washed jeans with a blue collared shirt with little stars on it, tucked in in the front. His skin was glowing in contrast with the shirt. <br/>"Jeno! Donghyuck!" Jaemin shouts , motioning them over. Mark internally freaks out. <br/>"Hey," Jeno says. <br/>"Hi!" Donghyuck says with a smile, specifically looking at Mark. Mark's nods as a greeting. <br/>"Your brother has a nice place!" Donghyuck says to Jaemin. <br/>"Technically it's Mark's brother's place. Or more like our family house. All my cousins that are in college also live here." Donghyuck and Jeno nod. "Speaking of which. This is Jungwoo, our cousin."  They greeted each other. <br/>"Hey, Mark does Donghyuck want a drink?" Jungwoo said, nudging him. <br/>"Uh, do you want a drink, Donghyuck?" Mark asked. <br/>"Sure! You can just call me Hyuck by the way," he said with a smile that melted Mark's heart. <br/>They walked into the kitchen. <br/>"What do you want to drink? Punch, soda, or beer?" Mark asked. <br/>"Hmm, what are you having?" Hyuck asked as he leaned on the wall. <br/>"Uh, I'll have punch I guess. Do you drink?" Mark asked. Hyuck twirled a strand of his hair. <br/>"Sometimes. I'll take punch too, is it good?" <br/>"Yeah, Yuta makes it. It's pretty strong just so you know," he poured two cups and hands one to him. They take a drink. <br/>"Woah, that is strong!" Hyuck said. Mark chuckled at him. <br/>"How's your essay on Pride and Prejudice going?" Mark asked. <br/>"Ugh, it's so boring. If I wanted to watch a girl pine after a man who couldn't care less, I'd watch any romantic drama." Mark laughed at that. <br/>"True, I really could care less about the book, but still have to write that essay." Hyuck nodded and took another sip, forgetting how strong it was, his face twisting with the taste of the alcohol Mark smirked at this. He stared into his eyes for a second before realizing he was staring and shyly looked away.</p><p>"Something interesting on my face?" Hyuck quirked his eyebrow at him. <br/>"No… just, uh. You're beautiful." Mark said quietly. His heart sped up and he wished he hadn't said that. Hyuck blushed slightly. <br/>"Uh, thanks. You're not so bad looking yourself… "  Mark looked up at him and saw the blush on his cheek and smirked. <br/>"Mark-ah!" A voice called. He turned around and saw Si-Cheng walking over to him. Si-Cheng was tall and lanky, built like a dancer. <br/>"Oh, hi, Si-Cheng Hyung!" Mark said to him as he gave him a hug. "Oh, uh this is my.. friend Donghyuck. This is Si-Cheng, he lives here. He's Yukhei's cousin." Mark introduced them. <br/>"Nice to meet you!" Hyuck said. <br/>"You too," just then a man with dyed red hair in a ponytail runs into the kitchen. <br/>"We have a problem! Si-Cheng come with me!" He grabs his arm and drags him away. Si-Cheng waves goodbye to them. Mark smiled at them. <br/>"That's Yuta. He's quite the party-er" Mark says with a sigh. "Want to go sit somewhere more quiet?" </p><p>Hyuck nods and follows him to the deck outback. A few people have stripped to their underwear and are swimming. They run into a group of people and Hyuck holds his hand so he doesn't lose Mark. Mark's heart feels like it's about to explode. Huyck's hands are so tiny compared to Mark's. They pass most of the people and Mark sits on a wooden porch swing by a rose bush. Hyuck sits next to him and they almost forget they're holding hands. When they realize it they move their hands, but both of them wish they were still touching. By this time they both had almost finished their drink. Mark was feeling a tiny bit more elevated. And Hyuck, who has a low alcohol tolerance was feeling a little more than elevated. Mark looked at him.<br/>"You have the Asian glow," he said. Hyuck felt his cheeks and they were burning hot. He couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or sitting next to Mark. </p><p>"Ha, yeah I get it after a few sips of alcohol." Mark nodded and they slipped into comfortable silence, looking at the crescent moon in the sky. <br/>"Why did you transfer schools?" He asked the boy who was stargazing.<br/>"Uh, I just moved here. I moved in with Jeno and his parents a week ago." <br/>"Oh, cool. I live with 3 of my cousins, was 5 but now most of them live here." <br/>"Dang, that's a lot. Jaemin is your cousin, right?" Mark nodded.<br/>"Sadly… " Hyuck giggled at his comment. "Why'd you move in with Jeno?"<br/>"Oh… um…" Hyuck moved uncomfortably in his seat. <br/>"You don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable with it." Hyuck sighed. <br/>"No… I just haven't told anyone yet. Uh, my mom and dad died when I was 8 in a fire and my grandma and grandpa have been taking care of me since. But their health got bad recently, so my Aunt offered to take me in. So I had to move here from Korea." Hyuck twiddled his thumbs nervously. Mark slowly inched his hand towards his and held it. Hyuck held his breath for a moment. <br/>"Thanks for telling me. That's got to be hard, moving here from Korea. My cousins Doyoung and Jisung had to do that too." Mark smiled at him and Hyuck melted. They sat in the comfortable silence, focusing on the feeling of their hands touching. <br/>"Is it okay that we're holding hands?" Mark asked, suddenly realizing that he'd never asked. <br/>"Uh, yeah. I, um, like it. " Hyuck said quietly. Mark smirked a tiny bit. He never knew he could be so confident in this situation as he was usually nervous for everything, but Hyuck weirdly made him comfortable. </p><p>"I have a question… " Hyuck said, playing with the rip in his jeans with his other hand.<br/>"Okay, Shoot." <br/>"Why are you holding my hand?" Mark suddenly got very flushed. His heart beat faster. He tried to remove his hand from Hyuck's but Hyuck held on and squeezed his hand, looking into Mark's eyes. <br/>"I, um," he stuttered, all the confidence draining out of him. He averted his gaze. "I,uh, wanted to… cause… " Mark taper off. Hyuck shifted so he was full on facing him, the bench swinging lightly. Mark felt like he was going to pass out. He looked at Hyuck and his head spun. He was so beautiful. The moonlight glinted off of his tan skin and his eyes reflected the stars. He turned towards him, so he was directly in front of him. Hyuck leaned closer and Mark doesn't know why but he gravitated towards him. His eyes drawn towards his lips. </p><p>"Can I kiss you?" Mark whispered breathlessly. Hyuck giggled slightly.<br/>"Mmhm." <br/>Mark quickly closed the gap between them and their lips met. Hyuck's lips were so soft. He suddenly wondered if he had even put on chapstick today. They moved their lips together and then broke apart, leaning their foreheads on each other. Hyuck smiled. <br/>"I've never done that before… " Mark breathed out. <br/>"Well, you're pretty good. I mean I wouldn't know if you weren't. I've only kissed a girl before, didn't really like it." Hyuck smiled and went for another kiss. <br/>They only broke apart to breathe. Mark smiled at him and he smiled back. It felt like they were the only ones there. Then suddenly they heard a loud crash. Mark flinched at the sound. </p><p>"What was that?" Hyuck asked, hand squeezing Mark's. <br/>"I don't know. I'm going to see what's up." Mark got up. "I'll be back." Hyuck reluctantly let his hand go. Mark ran to the pool area where two people were yelling at each other, a vase on the floor broken. Mark ran inside to find his brother. He'd fix this. He tried to look for him in the crowd. He saw familiar red hair.<br/>"Yuta Hyung!" Yuta turned towards him, "where's my brother?" <br/>"Uh, I think he went upstairs." Mark raced for the stairs. He looked in his room and he wasn't there, so he went to the next room, Ten and Johnny's room. He opened the door and to his surprise he found his brother, but he was a bit preoccupied. Ten was pushed up against the wall, Taeyong had his hand on his waist. They were kissing each other, and Ten was running his hands through his brother's hair. Ten's eyes widened when he saw Mark and he immediately stopped kissing him, pulled his hands out of his hair and moved away from him. Taeyong was confused.</p><p>"What's wrong?" He asked. Ten motioned towards the door. He turned around and his eyes widened as well. He blushed furiously. <br/>"What's going on, Hyung?" Mark hadn't known Taeyong liked boys, he'd always say how cute a girl was. He also warned Mark about his sexuality before. Mark was so confused. His head spun and not for a good reason. <br/>"Uh, Mark.. you weren't supposed to see that." Taeyong moved towards him. Mark could feel anger building up. Literally last week he'd lectured Mark on his sexuality. He'd said their dad wouldn't care and would still force them into an arranged marriage, so don't go getting attached to anyone. </p><p>"But I did." Mark wanted an explanation. <br/>"Uh, I think I should go… You guys have a lot to discuss," Ten said, slipping out of the room. Taeyong ran a hand through his own hair and sighed. <br/>"Explain. Now." Mark said, trying to bite down on his anger. <br/>"I, uh. Okay, I do like men and-" <br/>"Then why did you lecture me so much !?" Mark said losing his temper. <br/>" Because I know what it's like! I know I'll be forced into a marriage and I know it sucks. I didn't want you to do that to yourself and go getting attached to anyone." Mark snorted.<br/>"Says the guy who was tongue deep in his roommate!" Mark was getting even more mad, his voice slowly raising. <br/>"Mark, calm down." He said in a steady voice. Mark hated when people said that to him. <br/>"No!" <br/>"I am not attached to Ten, he's just my friend and we make out sometimes. When I have to get married it will be easy to do." Mark scoffs at him. How could he just make out with someone and not get attached. Hot angry tears threatened to flow. <br/>"Well, sorry I can't be as heartless as you are!" And with that Mark stormed off. He ran down the stairs and was met by Johnny who looked concerned.<br/>"What's wrong?" <br/>"Not right now," Mark said as he went to the kitchen and filled a cup with punch. He wanted to feel lighter, his head was crowded with thoughts that he wanted to forget. He drank it all then grabbed another one and drank that too. He needed fresh air. He looked out the back and saw a bunch of people. He didn't want that so He went out the front door. He couldn't quite breathe in the house, it felt hot and stuffy. He tried to calm down, tears now spilling out. He was so mad that Taeyong was such a hypocrite. He was also mad that his brother could just make out with someone and feel nothing. He didn't know he was that cold. A moment later Donghyuck opened the door and came out. He sat on the stairs next to him. Mark didn't want him to see him like this but he didn't have the energy to care. Hyuck put his arm around him and rubbed circles on his back. Mark could feel the anger draining from his body. </p><p>"How'd you find me?" Mark said quietly, anger almost gone and his body felt so tired. <br/>"Uh, Johnny? Yeah I think his name's Johnny, he told me you were out here." Mark sighed and put his head in his hands. <br/>"Do you want to talk about it?" Mark shook his head. "Okay, we don't have to." <br/>Mark really liked Hyuck, he was so open and understanding. In his drunken state of mind he suddenly grabbed Hyuck's face and started kissing him. After the initial shock, Hyuck kissed back. As he kissed him a thought kept swarming in his head. How could Taeyong do this and NOT get attached. He was already so attached to Hyuck and they had just met. Mark ran his hands through his hair, then remembered the image of Ten doing that to his brother and he suddenly broke the kiss. <br/>"Are you okay?" Hyuck asked, worry on his face. <br/>"Y… No." Hyuck pulled him into a hug. Mark sighed into it. He really really liked this boy. <br/>"You smell like that punch… how many cups did you have?" Hyuck asked, still I'm the hug. <br/>"2ish Maybe 3." Hyuck rubbed his back and he wanted to stay this way forever. Hyuck pulled out of the hug. <br/>"Do you want to go home? I'll drive you." Mark shook his head. He was too drunk to go home. His dad would be pissed. But he was so tired. And a little dizzy. <br/>"I'm a little dizzy though… " <br/>"Is there a spare room you could lie down in?" Mark nodded. <br/>"Okay, let's go." He helped Mark stand up and he regretted drinking on an empty stomach. They walked into the house and went up the stairs. At the end of the hallway there was a spare bedroom. He took his shoes off and fell into the bed. Curling up as he tried to ease the nausea. </p><p>"I'll get you some water," Hyuck said. Mark reached out for him. "Don't worry I'll come back." He left and Mark felt really tired. He also felt very off, he didn't quite know why he chugged alcohol. He just wanted to numb the sadness and hurt he felt. </p><p>Hyuck came back with water and a wet washcloth. <br/>"Sit up," he said and Mark did so slowly, his head spinning. He gave Mark the water. "Drink all of it." Mark did as he was told. "Lay down." <br/>Mark did. Hyuck put the wet washcloth on his forehead. He felt the dizziness ease up. Mark patted the spot next to him. Hyuck smiled. He crawled into bed next to him and Mark wrapped his arms around him and he laid his head on his chest. Hyuck suddenly seemed so small compared to him. He played with his brown hair and slowly drifted off to sleep</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Halloween Party and the Aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Mark awoke he had a huge headache. He sat up. Hyuck was gone. There was a note next to him on the bed. He slowly sat up, feeling dead. He read the note.<br/>
Mark,<br/>

I had to go home. I hope you slept well! I put my number in your phone so you can text me. There is also Advil and water next to you. Text me!<br/>
-Hyuck ♥️<br/>

Mark smiled. He took the Advil and drank all the water. He curled up in bed, not wanting to get out. Suddenly there's a knock on the door, then it opens and in walks Doyoung.<br/>
"Good morning sleepy head." He comes and sits on the edge of the bed. Mark groans. "Donghyuck told me you were in here when he left last night. How are you feeling?"<br/>
"Like shit," Mark replied.<br/>
"Well you did drink 3 cups of Yuta's 'special' mix," Doyoung sighed. "Do you want to come downstairs for breakfast?" Mark wanted to say no, but he was so hungry. He nodded. "Okay, meet you down there." Doyoung left.<br/>
Mark slowly got out of bed and walked downstairs. The dining room was buzzing with chatter. All of his cousins were there, except Jisung. And all his friends.<br/>
"Goooood Morning!" Taeil said loudly.<br/>
"Shhhh, I have a hangover," Mark said.<br/>
"I know!" Taeil said cutely. Everyone laughed. </p><p>Jaemin and Yukhei and Mark decided to leave around 1pm. Jaemin was driving while Mark was trying to find Hyuck's number. He looked in his contacts, first trying Donghyuck, then Hyuck but nothing came up. He just searched H and one came up. Hyuckie♥️😘 it read. Mark smiled. His, whatever they want to call it, is so cute. </p><p>To: Hyuckie ♥️😘<br/>
Hey, Thanks for last night. I had fun.<br/>

To: Mark ♥️🥰<br/>
No problem. How are you feeling?<br/>

To: Hyuckie ♥️😘<br/>
Still recovering. Thanks for the Advil. How are you?<br/>

To: Mark ♥️🥰<br/>
I'm okay. Did you hear what happened with Jeno and Jaemin last night?</p><p>"Jaemin, how'd making your 'move' go last night?" Mark asked. Jaemin blushed slightly.<br/>
"Uh, it went well. He definitely likes me back."<br/>
"How do you know?" Yukhei asked.<br/>
"He kissed me." Both Mark and Yukhei make a hollering sound. "Stop it, guys… "<br/>
"So are you guys dating?" Yukhei asked.<br/>
"Yeah!" Jaemin smiled.<br/>
"Congrats, dude!" Mark said.<br/>
"What about you, lover boy?" Jaemin asked.<br/>
"Hmmm, don't know what you mean," Mark smirked.<br/>
"I mean, I saw you and Hyuck go upstairs together last night." Mark blushed.<br/>
"It's not what it seems. Yes, we did make out, but he was helping me cause I was drunk. We cuddled for a while then he left." A bunch of hoots sounded off from the boys. Mark rolled his eyes with a smile. He was still mad at his brother, but he was too happy to care right now. He had a boyfriend? Mark wasn't sure what they were but he wanted to be his boyfriend. Mark slowly drifted to sleep and the next thing he sees is Jaemin’s face waking him up.<br/>
He slowly sits up and gets out of the car. He sees his brother's car in the driveway and groans. He didn’t want to see him right now. He just wanted to calm down before he had to face him. Jaemin and him walk up to the door anyway. They enter and Jisung turns his head to see them. He smiles at them. Jisung was a freshman in highschool so he diligently did his homework on weekends.<br/>
Jaemin went up to him and ruffled his hair, making noises as he did so.<br/>
“Good little Jisungie!” Jisung just rolled his eyes. He was used to Jaemin babying him. He didn’t want to admit it, but at times he liked it. Jisung loved living with his cousins. They would try to include him in things and make fun of him. It made him feel included and accepted. Like a real family.<br/>
“I’m going to shower.” Mark went up to his room and went to the bathroom. He took his clothes off and hopped into the shower. He felt the hot water run over his skin and it made his body feel better. His headache was mostly gone by now. He got dressed after he was done and came out of the door. He ran into Taeyong who was outside his door coming from his dad’s office.<br/>
“Sorry,” Taeyong said. He looked somewhat distressed, “Can we talk?” Mark sighed and nodded, stepping back in his room with Taeyong following him. Mark sat on his bed and Taeyong sat across from him in his desk chair.<br/>
“I’m sorry, You’re right. I am a hypocrite. I was just so worried about you-”<br/>
“You don’t have to worry about me anymore, Hyung. And I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad. I was just hurt that you didn’t tell me.” Mark ran his hand through his wet hair.<br/>
“Sorry, it just sort of happened. We started dancing together in our free time, then…” Taeyong looked at the ground. Mark chuckled.<br/>
“I get it. Are you really not attached to him?” Mark asked, looking into his brother’s eyes.<br/>
“I… I don’t know. I really like him as a friend and I like making out with him, but I’m not sure I want a relationship. I’m going to be married off in 3 years.” Mark sighed. It wasn’t fair, but that was just what life was for them.<br/>
“I, uh, have something to tell you.” Taeyong looked at his brother with a smile. He nodded for him to go on. “I made out with Hyuck last night.” Taeyong’s eyes softened on his brother. He knew he couldn’t protect him from this.<br/>
“Did you enjoy it?” Taeyong asked.<br/>
“Yeah… I want to date him. I really like him.” Mark searched for something in Taeyong’s face. Maybe disappointment, or fear. But he just smiled at him.<br/>
“That’s great. I’m happy for you.” Taeyong was smiling only because his father was never too strict with Mark. Maybe he could get out of the arranged marriage. Taeyong would try to do everything he could to fulfill his father’s wishes so Mark didn’t have to live with that pressure.<br/>
Mark got up and hugged his brother. He might have been really mad at him last night, but he now understood him a bit better. He loved his brother who has always been there for him.<br/>
“No more secrets, okay? At least the big ones,” Mark asked, pulling out of the hug. Taeyong nodded. He then checked his watch.<br/>
“Ugh, I have to go. I don’t know who decided that having a business class meeting on saturday was a good idea.” Taeyong hugged his brother one more time.<br/>
“Love you, Hyung.”<br/>
“Love you too.” And with that he left. </p><p> </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
Fall was approaching quickly and the leaves were turning shades of oranges and red and falling, leaving the trees bare. Mark and Hyuck were in Mark’s bedroom, bickering.<br/>
“But I want to do a matching costume!” Hyuck whined, sitting on Mark’s bedroom floor. Mark sighed.<br/>
“I know… but don’t you think that’s too like… coupley?” Mark said as he laid on his bed.sighing into the bed. Hyuck and Mark had been arguing about costumes for a few days now. Mark was tired of it.<br/>
“But we are a couple.” Hyuck retorted. He got up and laid next to Mark. suddenly rolling over so he’s on top of him. “Right?” he whispered and Mark’s heart sped up. He started kissing his neck. Mark moaned and tried to shew him away. Hyuck kept kissing his neck, leading up his chin to his lips, but he stopped right before his lips, pulling back and rolling over and sitting up next to him. Mark sighed again. He sat up.<br/>
“You’re such a tease.” Hyuck just smirked at him. He sat there looking into his eyes making Mark want to give in.<br/>
“Ugh, fine.” Mark gave in and Hyuck jumped on his lap and pushed him into the bed. He leaned down and kissed him. Mark ran his hand through his soft hair. The other hand on his waist, pulling him closer. Hyuck put one of his hands on Mark’s chin. They stayed like this for a while, somehow not needing air.<br/>
Suddenly Mark’s door flung open. They both stopped and turned to see Jaemin and Jeno smirking at them.<br/>
“Damn, you guys scared me. I thought it was Mark’s dad or something.” Hyuck said.<br/>
“He’s away on a business trip.” Mark said, pulling Hyuck down once again and kissing him. Hyuck blushed.<br/>
“Ew, Mark, we are literally right here!” Jaemin said.<br/>
Mark laughed while still kissing Hyuck. Putting his hand on the nape of his neck.<br/>
“We just came to tell you to start getting ready, cause we have to set up for the party.” Jeno said as he closed the door and walked away with Jaemin muttering something under his breath. Mark moved his hand from Hyuck’s neck and Hyuck sat up. Mark sat up as well, Hyuck still in his lap.<br/>
“I can’t believe you did that,” Hyuck said, still blushing but smiling anyway.<br/>
“I just wanted them to leave,” Mark smirked. Hyuck kissed him softly then pulled back and rested his forehead on his.<br/>
“Idiot,” he whispered. Mark chuckled softly. They had been together for a month now and Mark was falling in love. “Okay, so what costumes did you bring?” Hyuck grinned at him.</p><p>Mark walked down the stairs, and he pulled at his costume, feeling uncomfortable. He was wearing a tiger onesie, with a black nose and whiskers painted on his face.<br/>
“Why couldn’t I be Calvin?” he asked Hyuck who had a red and black  striped shirt and black jeans on.<br/>
“Because I’m the one who thinks of crazy ideas and you’re my voice of reason.” Hyuck said as he pet Mark’s head. Mark gave him a death glare. “Good, Kitty.”<br/>
Jeno walked into the living room and smirked at them. Jeno was dressed as a vampire, but like the new aged ones.He wore a dark red velvet jacket with a white button up and black skinny jeans. He put a pale shimmery makeup on his face and he had fangs and red colored contacts in. Jaemin walked in, dressed exactly the same as Jeno.<br/>
“I can’t believe you actually convinced him to put it on!” Jaemin Laughed.<br/>
“You knew?” Mark shot a glare at his cousin. He put his hands up in the air.<br/>
“Hey, he told me not to tell you.” Mark turned his glare to Hyuck. Hyuck just held his hand and led him elsewhere. </p><p>Soon the party was in full swing. They had it at the Lee’s house because his father and uncle were on a business trip and his two Aunts decided to give them space by staying in an Inn nearby.<br/>
Their other cousins came and a few other people, but compared to the last Party they were at, this one was a lot more chill. Yukhei brought his cousin Xiaojun and Hendery who just moved here from China. They were both Yukhei and Mark’s age. They also brought Ten’s Younger half-brother YangYang. Si-Cheng brought his younger brother, Renjun who was Jaemin and Jeno’s age. Renjun brought his cousin, Chenle who was a year older than Jisung. He was dressed as IT. Yukhei dressed up as Thor and Jungwoo and Jaehyun dressed up as rose and Jack. Renjun was dressed as Link from Zelda. Si-Cheng was dressed as an anime character and Kun dressed as a minion. Yuta was an old witch and Ten was mona lisa. There were tons of other people with costumes. </p><p>The room was decorated with black and orange streamers. There were orange fairy lights all over, making the rooms glow orange. All the snacks had themes, like mummy fingers that were really pigs in a blanket. </p><p>Mark sat with his arm around his boyfriend. He was listening to Renjun tell a story about when him and Si-Cheng were young. Everything seemed at peace. Donghyuuck got up to get anotherr drink. He walked through the crowd of his newfound friends and went into the kichen. He looked for the soda but there was none, so he opened the pantry door to check in there.<br/>
Two bodies were in there, making out. He couldn’t figure out who they were for a second, but as they turned to face him he realized and put a hand over his mouth in shock.<br/>
“Oh, hey… “ Yukhei said, putting his hand on his neck awkwardly. Jungwoo turned around and his face flushed.<br/>
"Uh, so Mark's best friend with Mark's cousin?" Hyuck said, a smirk appearing on his face. "Should I tell him?"<br/>
"No!" Yukhei said. Jungwoo gave him a look. "I mean not yet. We just started doing this… "<br/>
"Okay~ my lips are sealed." He walked away. Giggling to himself. He sat back down next to Mark.<br/>
"You didn't get a soda?" Mark whispered in his ear. Hyuck realized he forgot that.<br/>
"Uh, I forgot. I was talking to Yukhei." Mark nodded and put his arm around him. Hyuck leaned into the touch. Putting his hand oh Mark's knee.<br/>
The party went well into the night and most of the people who could drive went home. Jaemin, Jisung, Jeno, Mark, Hyuck, Yukhei, Jungwoo and Chenle were left. They cleaned up a bit then went into the bedrooms. Jisung and Chenle had hit it off and we're now best friends. They excitedly ran into Jisung's room to read comic books.<br/>
Mark and Hyuck went to Mark's room. They took turns taking showers and changed into comfy clothes.<br/>
They laid on his bed and cuddled. Mark enveloping him and Hyuck laying his head on Mark's chest.<br/>
"Did you enjoy the party?" Hyuck asked him. Mark began running his hands through his hair.<br/>
"Mmhmm… did you?"<br/>
"Yeah. It was fun because you were there," Hyuck said. Squeezing Mark's torso. Mark chuckled softly and kissed his forehead. Hyuck smiled sweetly.<br/>
They decided to watch a movie on Mark's laptop, they picked mean girls, Mark weirdly loved that movie. He started quoting it under his breath, Hyuck smiled at him. Halfway through the movie Hyuck started to want more attention.<br/>
He played with Mark's hand, bending his fingers up and down. Mark ignored that, too interested in the movie.<br/>
He shuffled in his spot, hoping Mark would look at him. He did not. Finally he started kissing Mark's neck. Mark tensed at this. Then he closed his eyes and melted into the kisses.<br/>
"B-babe… I'm trying to watch… "<br/>
"Mmhm, go ahead," Hyuck breathed then continued kissing down his neck, stopping at one spot and sucking lightly on it. Mark could definitely not focus on the movie. He moaned.<br/>
"H-hyuck… "<br/>
"Hmm?" He said while still kissing his neck, slowly moving up his jaw. Mark gave up and shut his computer with his hand. He wrapped his arms around Hyuck and rolled him over so he was on top of Mark, legs stratteling him. Hyuck smirked at him.<br/>
"You're such an attention whore," Mark joked.<br/>
"But I'm your attention whore," Hyuck winked at him. Mark leaned forward and kissed him, moving his hands to his chin. Mark bit down softly on Hyuck's lip and he moaned. Mark smiled against his lips. They broke the kiss to breathe.<br/>
"You're really good at that." Hyuck said. Mark smiled and kissed him again, moving his hands to his waist. Hyuck ran his hand through his soft, slightly damp hair. Mark's hand traveled up Hyuck's shirt, his skin hot to the touch. They continued kissing, not breaking apart for sometime. Mark let his hand travel further up Hyuck's shirt reaching his neck almost, he felt some sort of scar tissue but he ignored it. Hyuck bit his lip and Mark gripped his back tighter. Suddenly Hyuck pulled away and got off him.<br/>
"What's wrong, babe?" Mark asked looking at Hyuck who was trying to catch his breath. "Babe?" He moved towards him and touched his shoulder, Hyuck flinched. Mark pulled back.<br/>
"I… I'm sorry. It's - it's not you," Hyuck stutters out. He tries to steady his breathing.<br/>
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Mark was really worried now. He sat directly next to Hyuck on the edge of the bed.<br/>
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Mark," Hyuck said, tears spilling out. Mark got on the floor in front of Hyuck and held his hand, looking up at him.<br/>
"Sorry for what?"<br/>
"Sorry… for stopping. For freaking out… I'm sorry." Hyuck looked down at his lap.<br/>
"Hey, listen to me." Hyuck looked at him finally. "I don't care that you stopped. I just care if you're okay or not. We can go as far as you want. I only want to make out if you want to," Mark stated. Hyuck burst into tears and Mark got up and hugged him. Hyuck sobbed into his chest. After a minute or two his cries subsided.<br/>
"Thank you… " Hyuck said. They were sitting on the bed facing each other, holding hands. "Thank you for saying that… for caring about me."<br/>
"No need to thank me. I'll always care about you." Mark reassured him. "Do you want to talk about why you freaked out?" Hyuck sighed. He guessed it was time to tell someone.<br/>
"I… uh." Mark rubbed his thumb over Hyuck's knuckles. "I… was raped by someone who I thought was a friend 4 years ago… " Mark got so mad. Hyuck could see it on his face. "They… choked me a bit and if Jeno wasn't there visiting I might've died… that's why when you gripped my upper back I uh… was reminded of then…" Hyuck looked down at his hands.<br/>
"I'm sorry. That's Fucking messed up. You don't deserve that. " Mark said. "Thank you for telling me. " Hyuck looked up at him and he had tears in his eyes.<br/>
"Baby, don't cry. I'm okay now." Hyuck hugged him.<br/>
"No… it's still affecting you. I'm sorry someone did that to you… I'm so mad at them for hurting you." Mark mumbled into his shoulder. Hyuck felt truly loved. He couldn't believe Mark wasn't mad at him.<br/>
"Hyuck." Mark said.<br/>
"Yes?"<br/>
"I… I love you." Mark said, blush creeping on his face. Hyuck smiled widely.<br/>
"What?"<br/>
"I love you… I've never felt this way before. I would do anything for you and I care about you so much." Hyuck smiled at him again. He kissed him softly.<br/>
"I love you too, Mark." Mark smiled shyly. They hugged, not wanting to be far apart. They both laid down and fell asleep cuddling. </p><p>    When Hyuck awoke Mark was no longer in bed. He sighed and got up. He got dressed and went down the stairs. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard yelling and he stopped in his tracks.<br/>
“It’s not that big a deal, Sir,” he heard Mark say.<br/>
“Your brother is a homosexual! That is a problem.” An unknown voice yelled.<br/>
“No, I’m not… Just calm down.” Taeyong said. He heard stomping and a slap sound. Hyuck got mad, but didn’t want to intervene.<br/>
“Dad!” Mark Yelled with pain in his voice.”Taeyong, just go.”  After a moment no one moved. “Go!” Taeyong came into the hall and opened the door. He was holding his face. He gav Hyuck a glance before he left and said go upstairs. Taeyong left and Hyuck quietly went up the stairs. He went into Mark’s bedroom. He wanted to cry, he felt bad for Taeyong and he also felt scared for how Mark’s dad would react to them dating. He crawled into Mark's bed. He pulled out his phone. </p><p>To Nana:<br/>
Did you hear that loud noise and yelling?<br/>
To Duckie:<br/>
Yeah, what was that? It woke Jeno and I up. You okay?<br/>
To Nana:<br/>
It was your uncle finding out Taeyong is with Ten. He slapped him. Taeyong left. Mark is trying to calm him down.<br/>
To Duckie:<br/>
Fuck. I'm going to go help him. Stay put.<br/>
To Nana:<br/>
Good luck 👍</p><p>Hyuck heard Jaemin come out of his room and run downstairs. He heard more raised voices and then footsteps going up the stairs. Hyuck was frozen, he wondered if Mark's dad would walk in.<br/>
Thankfully the footsteps passed and a door slammed.<br/>
Then there were two pairs of footsteps coming up the stairs. Hyuck got under the covers, pretending he was asleep.<br/>
The door opened and Mark walked in. He slid into the other side of the bed and wrapped his arms around Hyuck.<br/>
"I know you're not sleeping." Mark whispered. Hyuck popped his head up out of the covers. Mark hugged him tighter and buried his face in Hyuck's chest. Hyuck wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his back.<br/>
"Do you want to talk about it?" Mark shook his head, still in Hyuck's chest. Hyuck could feel wetness on his chest. Mark was silently crying.<br/>
Hyuck kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back.<br/>
Mark was hurting. His father had never hit any of them ever. This was a side of him he couldn't handle. And on top of that he was crying for his brother, who was probably hurting too. He wondered what repercussions he would face.<br/>
"I love you, Mark. Even when you feel like nothing makes sense, remember I really love you." Hyuck said as he kissed his forehead.<br/>
Mark looked up at him, face slightly red from crying. Hyuck smiled softly at him. Mark placed a small kiss on his lips then continued being held by Hyuck. He felt the safest in his arms.<br/>
They drifted off to sleep once again. When they woke up it was nearly 6pm.<br/>
They both just lay there, Hyuck playing with Mark's hair and Mark, resting against his chest.<br/>
"Babe?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Hmmm?"<br/>
"Do you feel safe in this house?" Mark froze. He's not sure. It hadn't occurred to him that he could be the one who got slapped next time.<br/>
"I'm fine here, Hyuck. Promise" Hyuck sighed.<br/>
"Okay… " Suddenly his belly growled. He held his stomach, shocked by how loud it was.<br/>
"Are you hungry?" Hyuck shook his head, but his stomach growled again. "I'll check if the coast is clear." Mark said, getting up and walking to the door. He walked out and looked in his dad's office. He was no longer there. He checked his bedroom, then downstairs. He was nowhere to be seen.<br/>
He went into the kitchen and found Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung, Chenle and his aunts cooking.<br/>
"Oh, hey, Min-Hyung-ah. We were going to deliver food to your room. " His Aunt Ha-Sun said with a smile. Jaemin and Jeno looked at him like they were asking, are you okay? </p><p>Mark shook his head slightly.<br/>
Jaemin's mom knew he was gay and fully accepted him, his father on the other hand had no idea.<br/>
"Go upstairs, relax. We will bring you food."<br/>
"No, you don't have to… " Mark declined.<br/>
"Nope. Go. We'll bring it up." His Aunt shoved him out of the room. He sighed and went upstairs.<br/>
He entered his room and Hyuck was still in his bed, worrying. Mark walked over to him.<br/>
"My aunts are making food for us. I think they know what happened. " Mark sat next to Mark.<br/>
"That's nice of them… " Mark nodded. Suddenly his phone rang and he answered it.<br/>
"Hello?... No, I don't… okay, let me try. I'll call you back" he hung up. </p><p>"What's wrong?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Ten said Taeyong never went home… I'm going to try to call him and see if he picks up. " Mark looked nervous and unsteady, like the wind could knock him down. He put his phone to his ear. It rang, no answer. He hung up and called again. No answer. He called one more time and finally he picked up.<br/>
"Taeyong? Where have you been?... Are you okay?... I'm coming to get you. Where are you?... Okay. I'll be there." He hung up. Got up and put his leather jacket on.<br/>
"Where are you going?"<br/>
"I need to go get Taeyong, he's drunk." He grabbed his keys from his desk. "You can go downstairs with them. I'll be back soon.<br/>
"No, let me come with you." He stood up and walked towards him.<br/>
"No, I have to talk to him one on one." Hyuck gives him a worried look. "I know you're worried, but I'll be fine. " Mark said, pulling him closer by his waist. He kissed him, and their lips moved together smoothly, like they were meant to be that way, close together. Hyuck pulled apart.<br/>
"Be safe. Okay?" Mark let go of him and turned to leave.<br/>
"I will. Love you."<br/>
"Love you too." Then Mark left.<br/>
He told Jaemin where he was going and to make sure Hyuck eats, then he sped off in his Jeep.<br/>
Mark knew that Taeyong sometimes drank, not very often because he is a lightweight. And Mark knew that sometimes he would drink after a stressful day, but he sounded really intoxicated.<br/>
He prayed that he was okay. He asked God to protect him until he got there. </p><p> </p><p>Mark pulled up to a building with soft yellow lights and people standing outside smoking. He entered the bar and it was alive with music. People were dancing and some were sitting in booths. Mark spotted his brother at the bar, drinking water thankfully.<br/>
He tapped him on the shoulder. Taeyong turned around slowly and smiled at him.<br/>
"Hey, baby brother." Every movement of his was slowed down and his eyes were unfocused.<br/>
"Hi. Want to come with me? I'll take you home."<br/>
"No… I can't ever go home. " Taeyong said with a sad face.<br/>
"Why not, Hyung?"<br/>
"Dad's going to kill me… " he whispered, sounding scared and sad at the same time.<br/>
"Okay, then just come on a drive with me?"<br/>
"Okay… " Mark closed Taeyong's tab for him and they exited and got in his car. Mark started driving and Taeyong started crying.<br/>
"Hyung, What's wrong?" Mark moved one of his hands to hold his brother's.<br/>
"I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to see that."<br/>
"No. Taeyong it's okay." Mark squeezed his hand. "I was just mad, I never expected our father to do anything like that." Taeyong looked at Mark, then burst into tears again. He hid his face with his hands. Mark pulled into Taeyong’s house on campus. Mark turned towards him and hugged him over the console. Taeyong’s body shaking with sobs.</p><p>“I… It’s not the first time.” Taeyong stuttered out. Mark pulled out of the hug and looked at him.<br/>
“What?” Mark was getting mad. There was so much he didn’t know about his childhood, sometimes Mark felt like the four years difference was huge.<br/>
“He… After mom died and I was struggling with school, he would get mad at m-me. “ Tears still fell from Taeyong’s eyes, but his body was no longer racked with sobs. He looked so small. Mark always thought of his brother as tough and taller than him, but in this moment he looked so small.<br/>
“So, those bruises weren’t from soccer?”<br/>
“No, they weren’t.” Mark got out of the car and sighed, he felt like screaming. How could he not notice that his brother was being beaten? He kept all these thoughts inside and walked to Taeyong’s door. He opened it and embraced his brother.<br/>
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Mark whispered. Taeyong just cried into his shoulder.<br/>
Mark made his brother drink water and take a shower. Then he tucked him into bed. He quietly closed the door to his room. Doyoung was standing outside the room.<br/>
“How is he?” Mark sighed, running his hand through his wavy hair.<br/>
“Uh, not good. He is really scared and sad. I think he’ll be better when the alcohol is out of his system though.” Doyoung nodded, arms crossed and thinking.<br/>
“How are you?” Mark thought for a second, he wasn’t sure how he felt. He was sad and mad, but the main thing he was feeling was tired.<br/>
“Tired.” Doyoung nodded. “Take care of him when he wakes up please.” </p><p>“Of course. Go home, don’t worry.” Doyoung patted Mark on the shoulder and then Mark left. He got in his car and bursted into tears. He held it in for as long as he could and now that he was alone, he could let it go. He cried, his chest heaving. He started the car and drove off, still crying. By the time he got home it was 11pm and his tears were dried on his face. </p><p>He entered the house and the first person he saw was Jisung, who hugged him. Jissung was always the smallest becuase he was the youngest, but now he was only 3 inches off of Mark. Mark didn’t have the energy to hug back, but he appreciated the hug just the same. Jisung pulled out of the hug. </p><p>Jeno, Yukhei, and Chenle went home an hour ago. Mark ate leftover dinner and sat down to watch a movie with Jaemin and Jisung. Jaemin put an arm around him. Mark didn’t really pay attention to the movie at all. His thoughts swarmed around him. Halfway through the movie he stood up to go to bed.</p><p>“You okay?” Jaemin asked.<br/>
“Yeah… just tired. Goodnight.”<br/>
“Goodnight, Hyung!” Jisung said. Mark smiles then goes up the stairs. He falls into his bed. His chest hurts from sobbing earlier and his headhurts from crying so much. He looks at his phone. He has a message from Hyuckie.<br/>
To Markuwu:<br/>
I had to go home. I hope everything turned out okay with<br/>
Taeyong. I’m always here if you need me. Love you.</p><p>He calls Hyuck. It rings three times before someone answers.<br/>
“Hello?” Hyuck says sleepily.<br/>
“Sorry, did I wake you?”<br/>
“No. I was almost asleep. What’s up?”<br/>
“I wish you were here… “ Mark sighs.<br/>
“Me too. My aunt wouldn’t let me sleepover again.”<br/>
“Hmmm… “ Mark twiddled his fingers.<br/>
“Are you okay?” Mark paused. Did he want to tell the truth?<br/>
“Yeah i’m fine.” He lied. Maybe if he said it enough the feeling would go away.<br/>
“You sure? I know you’ve dealt with a lot today. How’s Taeyong?”<br/>
“He’s uh, fine. He should be at least tomorrow. He was really emotional and a little drunk. “<br/>
“You’re a good brother for being there for him.” Mark’s voice caught in his throat. He felt like the worst brother ever, he didn’t notice when he was in pain. He cried silently. “Babe, you okay?”<br/>
“N-no.”<br/>
“What’s wrong?” Hyuck’s voice was dripping in concern.<br/>
“I… I’m a bad brother… “ Mark choked out. He felt like his lungs were on fire. He couldn’t breathe.<br/>
“No, you’re not Mark. You helped him out and you even talked down your father. You did all you could do.”<br/>
“No… I didn’t know… I didn’t know he was getting… getting beat…” Mark tried to gasp for air, but only sobs came out.<br/>
“What? He’s hit Taeyong before?” Mark couldn’t talk. He just cried. “Babe… Breathe. Take a deep breath. Do you want me to come over?”<br/>
“N-no…” Mark took a deep breath. He tried to regulate his breathing, still crying.<br/>
“It’s not your fault. It’s not.” Mark finally got ahold of his breathing and tears stopped flowing. Mark’s chest hurt, ached.<br/>
“I’m okay.”<br/>
“Mark none of this is your fault. You are a good brother. Just because of something someone else did doesn’t mean it’s your fault.”<br/>
“Mhmm,” Mark answered not really paying attention. “I’m tired, Hyuckie.”<br/>
“Okay, you can go to sleep.”<br/>
“Can you stay on the call?” Mark asked, snuggling into his bed.<br/>
“Yeah. Goodnight, Babe. I love you,” Hyuck answered.<br/>
“Love you too,” Mark said as he slowly drifted off to sleep.<br/>
Hyuck on the other hand had a hard time sleeping. He kept worrying about Mark. If his father had hit Taeyong for multiple years, then he might hit Mark also.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! Hope you all liked it. Leave a comment about your favorite part? Or how you think it's going to go.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Trip to Korea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soon the trees were bare and the temperature was getting cold. It was now December 17th and Christmas was coming soon.<br/>
Mark got out of his last class, relieved that he had finished all his midterms. He spotted his boyfriend and snuck up behind him. He wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his head on his shoulder.<br/>
Hyuck tensed for a moment, then smelt the familiar scent of peppermint and redwood. He clasped his hands around Mark's. </p><p>"How were midterms, babe?" Hyuck asked quietly.<br/>
"Fine. Glad they're over. How about you?"<br/>
"I hopefully didn't fail." Mark released him and he turned around to face him.<br/>
"Can I sleep over tonight? I have a 11am flight tomorrow." Hyuck asked. Holding his hand. More and more people crowded into the halls. Hyuck led Mark to his locker and he opened it to get his stuff out.<br/>
"Sure. My dad and uncle are on a business trip. " Mark said, making sure he knew they wouldn't be bothered. "Why do you have to leave?" Mark said, hugging his waist once again.<br/>
"I have to go see my grandparents…" Jaemin and Yukhei walked over to them. Yukhei's locker is 4 away from Hyuck's.<br/>
"I think I failed my math test." Yukhei sighed, getting his books out of his locker.<br/>
"I'm sure you didn't. If you did Ms.Haddox usually let's you make up for it with extra credit." Mark said, letting go of Hyuck.<br/>
"When do you leave for Hong Kong?" Jaemin asked, leaning on the unopened lockers.<br/>
"Monday. " Yukhei replied, shutting his locker.<br/>
"Why is everyone leaving me… " Mark pouted.<br/>
"Calm down, baby." Jaemin teased.<br/>
"I'll be back after Christmas." Hyuck kissed Mark softly.  His pout turned into a smile. Jeno walked to them.<br/>
"Minie, can you move so I can get into my locker?" He asked his boyfriend. Jaemin smirked.<br/>
"What's the password?" He said. Jeno just kissed him. Jaemin moved once he was satisfied with the kiss. Yukhei made a fake vomiting sound.<br/>
"Shut up, Mr. Making out with Mark's cousin." Jeno said as he opened his locker. Mark and Hyuck both laughed while Jaemin smirked.<br/>
"Whatever… " </p><p>Soon they all got in their cars to go to Mark and Jaemin house, their choice of hangout spots.<br/>
Ever since the situation with Taeyong Mark's father and Uncle have been out of the house more often on business trips.<br/>
Mark's aunts knew he was gay and didn't care much. They both loved him like he was their son.<br/>
Their Aunts fed them when they came home.<br/>
"How was your first midterms, Jisung?" Mark asked.<br/>
"Stressful! Why does every class have a test?" Jisung said as he ate his gimbap.<br/>
"It will get easier." Jaemin patted Jisung on the head.<br/>
They all watched movies and played games together until it got late. Yukhei went home and Jeno and Jaemin went to Jaemin's room to go to bed.<br/>
"Goodnight, Jisung-ah!" Hyuck said as Mark led him to his bedroom. They took turns taking a shower and then got into comfy clothes.<br/>
They both laid in Mark's bed. Mark wrapped his arms around Hyuck and kissed his forehead.<br/>
"Be safe in Korea, okay?"<br/>
"Of course." Hyuck replied, lifting Mark's hand and kissing it. "I'll miss you."<br/>
"I'll miss you too." Hyuck turned around to face Mark and looked into his eyes. Mark's smile grew. Hyuck softly kissed Mark, tugging at his lips with his teeth a little.<br/>
Mark smiled against his lips. They broke apart for air.<br/>
"I love you."<br/>
"I love you too."<br/>
A sweet exchanging of words was followed by Hyuck climbing on top of him, straddling his hips. Mark broke the kiss.<br/>
"You always have to be on top,huh?" Mark chuckled.<br/>
"Yep. I like to be in control." Hyuck smirked then went back to kissing him. Mark put his hands on his waist. Mark started biting his lip. Hyuck moaned slightly.<br/>
Mark smiled against his lips. His hands drifted up his Hyuck's back. Suddenly Mark's hands stopped and he removed his hands from him.<br/>
Hyuck used his hands to put Mark's hands back on his back.<br/>
"It's okay." Hyuck whispered against his lips.<br/>
"Are you sure?"<br/>
"Mhm. Yep." Hyuck said as he kissed Mark's neck. Hyuck started sucking his neck. Mark moaned. Mark wrapped his arms tighter around his back, causing Hyuck to press even closer against him.<br/>
Hyuck bit down lightly on his neck and Mark moaned loudly.<br/>
"B-babe…"<br/>
"Hmm?" Hyuck said as he kept kissing his neck, slowly kissing down his neck.<br/>
"I- uh…" Mark said, every thought going out of his head as Hyuck lifted up Mark's shirt, placing kisses along his firm abdomen. Mark fully took his shirt off, wanting to be closer to him.<br/>
"Damn, you're fit." Hyuck remarked. Mark smiled and took the advantage to kiss Hyuck. He placed a hand on Hyuck's sharp jawline.<br/>
Mark moved down and started kissing his neck. Mark moved to Hyuck's ears and nibbled them slightly. Hyuck moaned.<br/>
Mark started taking Hyuck's shirt off and Hyuck helped him. </p><p> </p><p>Mark awoke to Hyuck moving around in bed. Hyuck was trying to wiggle himself out of Mark's grasp. Mark hugged him tighter, feeling his soft skin on his fingertips.<br/>
"What are you doing?" Mark asked sleepily.<br/>
"Uh, I was going to shower. Then I have to go… " Hyuck said quietly.<br/>
"Please don't go… I want to stay like this forever." Mark kissed the top of his head.<br/>
"I know. Me too, but I have a flight to catch."<br/>
"Wow. One night stands much?" Mark joked.<br/>
Hyuck turned towards him. He rolled his eyes then kissed him. Mark kissed back, deepening the kiss, Hyuck bit his lip slightly and Mark moaned slightly. Then Hyuck broke of the kiss.<br/>
"I just gave you a little more to dream about." He winked at him, then got out of bed.<br/>
Mark watched him go into the bathroom. He sighed.</p><p>Last night was the first time they had gone all the way. Mark felt comfortable with Hyuck being so close to him, not even fabric between them. He wished that Hyuck didn't have to go to Korea. He got up and got dressed. He went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.<br/>
Hyuck was in the shower still, singing to himself. Mark smiled, his voice was really good. </p><p>"What time do you have to be at the airport?" Mark asked as he got his toothbrush and toothpaste out.<br/>
"Uh, I think we are leaving at 9:30." Hyuck replied. Mark brushed his teeth then started to comb his messy hair. Hyuck stepped out of the shower and hugged him from behind. Mark moved away.<br/>
"Dude, you're all wet!" Mark exclaimed. Hyuck just giggled.<br/>
Hyuck grabbed a towel and dried off. He got dressed then they both went downstairs and made toast.<br/>
Jeno and Jaemin came down not long after.<br/>
"Ready to go," Jeno asked, getting his shoes on. Hyuck nodded.<br/>
Mark hugged his boyfriend.<br/>
"I love you."<br/>
"I love you too." Hyuck kissed Mark softly.<br/>
Jeno and Jaemin kissed and said goodbye as well.<br/>
"Have a safe flight!" Jaemin called after them.<br/>
After they left Mark finished his toast.<br/>
"Had fun last night?" Jaemin said with eyebrows raised. Mark gave him a clueless look.<br/>
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I ?" Mark asked.<br/>
"Didn't get a lot of sleep huh?"<br/>
"Uh, I got enough."<br/>
"Oh, really. Because I heard you moaning at 1 in the morning." Jaemin said, taking a sip of coffee. Mark nearly spit out his toast. He choked on it for a bit, coughing. Jaemin just smiled at him.<br/>
The days that they were apart they tired to Skype often. They also tried to text whenever something hilarious happened or Jeno or Jaemin did something annoying. They watched a movie together on their usual date night and fell asleep on the phone often. </p><p>It had been 5 days since Hyuck and Jeno left for Korea and Yukhei also left for Hong Kong. Mark was lounging around the house when their Aunts came in.<br/>
"We have an announcement!" Mark, Jaemin, Jisung, Doyoung, Jaehyun and Taeyong turn their heads towards Ha-Sun.<br/>
"We are going to Korea for Christmas! We leave in 6 hours!"<br/>
"What really?!" Jisung asked. He was excited, he hadn't gone back in over a year now. Mark and Taeyong haven't visited family there in three years as well as Jaehyun and Jaemin.<br/>
"Yes! Start packing now!" </p><p>They all hurried to their rooms to pack. Mark was excited to see Hyuck sooner than he thought. He missed that laugh and the way he would subconsciously rub Mark's knuckles when they held hands. They video chatted, but most of the time one of them was extremely tired, because of the time difference.<br/>
Mark decided to video chat Hyuck. It was 1:45am in Korea, but he might be up. After a few rings he picked up.<br/>
Only the screen illuminated Hyuck's face. He had his glasses on and had messy hair.<br/>
"Hey, babe," he said sleepily.<br/>
"Hi!" Mark said excitedly.<br/>
"Why are you so energetic ?" Hyuck asked, smiling at him.<br/>
"I'm packing for a family trip!"<br/>
"Oh? Where are you guys going?"<br/>
"Guess!"<br/>
"Hmmm, Australia?"<br/>
"No."<br/>
"Antarctica! Canada ? Spain?" He guessed.<br/>
"No, no and no."<br/>
"Then where?"<br/>
"Korea!" Hyuck perked up at that. He looked into the camera.<br/>
"Jinja?" Hyuck asked, not believing it.<br/>
"Yeah!" Mark smiled brightly at him. Hyuck smiled back.<br/>
"Which part are you going to?"<br/>
"Our family mainly lives in Gangnam. But I think we might go to Jeju Island also. "<br/>
"Okay! I'm staying in Dongjak-Gu. Not a far train ride away!" Hyuck said. "When are you leaving? "<br/>
"Uh, our flight is at 5:35."<br/>
"Then you'll be here by tomorrow afternoon!"<br/>
"Yeah… I don't want to do a 17 hour flight.."<br/>
"Yeah, it's a long flight, but then you'll be with me!" Mark smiled at that.<br/>
"I miss you. "<br/>
"I miss you too, babe." Hyuck yawns.<br/>
"You should get to bed. I'll see you soon!" Hyuck nods.<br/>
"Love you."<br/>
"I love you too." Mark shuts his computer and keeps packing. Excited to see Hyuck. </p><p> </p><p>Mark and his family step out of the airport, the 17 hour flight wasn't as bad as it could have been. They got to have business class seats because of his father's business so they had more room to get comfortable and sleep. A car came to get them. Mark recognized the driver as one who'd been there for a while. He remembered him from his childhood.<br/>
They got in the car and Mark fell asleep immediately.<br/>
When he awoke they pulled into a huge driveway. He recognized the house as his grandfather's. He was excited to see him. </p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Mark got on the train to seochu-Gu. Hyuck was meeting him at the Hang river there. Mark missed these train rides. He remembered feeling so independent as a 12 year old when he would take the train by himself. The train only took 7 minutes for him to get there.<br/>
He got off and made his way to the han river, it was a 10 minute walk. </p><p>Most of the trees were empty and the river was nearly frozen, but Mark still admired it. He was cold walking to the spot they said they'd meet, but he didn't care much. He saw Hyuck standing there, with a winter coat and scarf. He wanted to run to him, but he resisted the urge. He walked over to him and Hyuck finally realized who it was and hugged him. The hug felt like the warmest hug Mark has ever had. Hyuck's cheeks were a light pink from the cold and Mark thought he looked super cute.<br/>
"Hi."<br/>
"Hi, Hyuckie." Mark replied, still in his embrace.<br/>
"I missed you so much. Who knew 7 days apart would feel like forever." Mark chuckled slightly.<br/>
"I know." Mark placed a small kiss on Hyuck's lips and he smiled, taking his hand and leading him somewhere.<br/>
"Where are we going?" Mark asked.<br/>
"It's a surprise!" Hyuck smiled at him. Mark shook his head slightly but joyfully followed him.  They ended up walking for 5 minutes before Hyuck entered a small coffee shop.<br/>
The inside felt so warm and cozy.<br/>
They ordered and took their coats off ,and sat in a booth. The cafe had cream walls and dim lighting. There were about 10 other people in the cafe.<br/>
They held hands across the table. Mark looked into Hyuck's eyes. He thought he was so cute with a wool hat on and flushed cheeks from the cold.<br/>
"You're so cute." Mark said to him. Hyuck smiled.<br/>
"Thanks. I thought I should look presentable." Hyuck jokes. Mark chuckled at his ridiculous boyfriend.</p><p>Their drinks came a moment later. Mark bought an Americano with extra cream. Hyuck got a caramel macchiato.<br/>
They drank their drinks happily.<br/>
"How was the flight?"<br/>
"Long af. Sorry I couldn't hang out right when I got here. I was so exhausted and excited to see my grandparents." Mark said.<br/>
"It's okay. As long as I get to see you eventually, I don't care. "<br/>
"How are your grandparents?" Mark asked, taking his hand again.<br/>
"Hmm, fine. Grandfather's condition is getting worse… but that's expected." Mark nodded.<br/>
"How are you doing with that?" Hyuck sipped on his macchiato.<br/>
"Uh, I think I've come to terms with it. I mean that's what dementia does. I'm just worried about my grandmother." Mark squeezed his hand.<br/>
"Yeah, I'm here for you no matter what. You know that right?" Hyuck nodded. </p><p>They walked hand and hand to explore shops. They entered a yarn shop, a bookstore, and a paper store before going to a small ramen place.<br/>
They sat and ate while making fun of each other.<br/>
They sat on a park bench looking out at the river. Even though it was 8pm and the sun was no longer shining, they didn't feel that cold. Mark's hand was very warm from holding his boyfriend's hand.<br/>
"I'm so glad you're here." Hyuck said as he turned to face Mark, who was still gazing at the river.<br/>
"Me too." He squeezed Hyuck's hand.<br/>
Hyuck used his other hand and put it on Mark's jaw. He slowly turned Mark's head towards him. Mark willingly let him, smiling softly the whole time.<br/>
"Yes, attention whore?" Mark teased. Hyuck rolled his eyes and slowly leaned in and placed his lips on Mark's. Mark kissed back, putting his hand on the nape of Hyuck's neck. He tasted the familiar cherry chapstick Hyuck always had on. He missed that taste. Hyuck pulled out of the kiss. Mark smiled at him.<br/>
"I have something to ask you." Hyuck whispered.<br/>
"Go ahead." Mark said hastily. He just wanted to get back to kissing.<br/>
"Um, my grandparents heard me talking about you… and… they want to meet you." Hyuck said shyly. Mark sat up straight and removed his hand from Hyuck's neck. "They know we are dating. They're okay with it." Hyuck added and Mark's shoulders relaxed a little.<br/>
"Do you want me to?"<br/>
"Only if you want to, babe." Hyuck squeezed his hand.<br/>
"Uh… are you sure it's okay?"<br/>
"Yeah, they've known I was gay since I was five years old. First crush was Mickey mouse." Mark laughed at that. Hyuck giggled lightly.<br/>
"Uh, okay." Hyuck smiled at him.<br/>
"Okay, are you free Thursday around 6?"<br/>
"I should be." Hyuck smiled widely. If Mark knew how happy it would've made him, he would have said yes sooner.<br/>
Hyuck kissed Mark suddenly and it took Mark a few seconds to kiss him back. He wrapped his arms around Hyuck's neck. He missed being this close to him, yeah they video chatted almost everyday,but being close like this was so much better.<br/>
Hyuck seemed like he missed it too. He started kissing down Mark's neck. Mark stifled a moan.<br/>
"Babe… we are in public." Mark mentioned, as Hyuck kept sucking on his neck.<br/>
"I know." Hyuck whispered against his neck. Then he continued kissing him. Mark kissed back, biting his lip slightly. Hyuck gave a happy sigh.<br/>
Mark pulled apart when he heard someone approaching. Hyuck gave him a pout and he motioned his head towards the runner who was running along the path in front of them.<br/>
"Do you not want to be seen making out with me?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"What? No. I just think it's a… private thing… also you know some people in south Korea… aren't as accepting." Mark explained, squeezing Hyuck's hand. Hyuck nodded, understanding his point. They got up and walked to the train station together.<br/>
"Bye, babe." Mark said as his train was two minutes away and he needed to be on the other side of the platform.<br/>
"Bye." He hugged Mark tightly for a moment.<br/>
"I'll see you Thursday? I can come pick you up."<br/>
"Okay! Sounds good. I love you."<br/>
"I love you too." Mark placed a soft kiss on his lips then went to get on the right platform. </p><p>On the train ride Mark wondered what it would be like if Hyuck and him met in Korea. He imagined cherry blossoms and picnics by the hand river. He imagined Hyuck in a school uniform, which he thought would look good on him.<br/>
-------------------------------------------<br/>
Mark called Hyuck in a panic.<br/>
"Babe, what should I wear?" Mark stared at his closet.<br/>
"Whatever you want. It's not that big a deal." Hyuck said as he walked to the train station.<br/>
"But, I want to make a good impression… "<br/>
"Fine. Wear that blue button up with black jeans. "<br/>
"Okay. " Mark got his clothes out.<br/>
"I'll be there in 10 minutes, I'm going on the train."<br/>
"Okay, see you."<br/>
"Mmhm. See you. Try to calm down."<br/>
"Hmmm…" Hyuck hung up, smiling at how nervous Mark was.<br/>
Mark got dressed and combed his hair. He walked downstairs and began pacing.<br/>
"What's wrong, Hyung?" Jaemin asked, as he chewed on a carrot.<br/>
"I'm meeting Hyuck's grandparents." Mark ran a hand through his hair nervously.<br/>
"Oh yeah. Jeno told me about that." Mark continued pacing. "From what I know they're really nice. Don't worry too much." Mark disregarded him.<br/>
Just then there was a knock on the door. Mark opened it to find Hyuck in his winter coat and hat.<br/>
"Ready?" He asked. Mark got his coat and scarf on.<br/>
"Hey, Hyuck!" Jaemin said walking over to the door.<br/>
"Hey, Jaemin. How are you?"<br/>
"Good! And you?"<br/>
"Great. Now that you guys are in Korea. " Hyuck smiled.<br/>
"Let's go." Mark said.<br/>
"Bye guys! Don't screw up, Mark!" Mark rolled his eyes and closed the door. They walked hand and hand.Hyuck could tell he was nervous.<br/>
“Babe, are you okay?”<br/>
“No… I’m really nervous.”<br/>
“What have you got to be nervous for? You’re smart, you take 3 AP courses. You’re handsome,”Hyuck looked Mark up. “And you’re rich too!” he joked. Mark elbowed him in the side, but smiled anyways. They walked into the subway and got on the train. They chatted about Jaemin and Jeno doing annoying things.<br/>
They got off and walked to a house. The house wasn’t that big to Mark’s standards, but it was pretty big. It had three stories and had a nice garden out front. It had an art deco vibe to it. The house was painted a brown red. It looked homey.<br/>
They walked up to the door and Mark stopped Hyuck from opening the door.<br/>
“I’ve never met anyone’s grandparents...I’ve never dated anyone…” Hyuck  kissed Mark, Mark melted into the kiss and suddenly all of his anxiety disappeared. Hyuck pulled back.<br/>
“They’ll love you. I know I do.” Mark smiled and then Hyuck opened the door. They took their shoes and coats off.<br/>
The front hall had a warm glow, pictures of Hyuck and Jeno growing up could be seen going up the staircase.<br/>
“Hi, Mark!” Jeno said as he was walking in.<br/>
“Hi, Jeno-ah,” Mark greeted him. They walked into the kitchen to find Jeno’s mom and their grandmother cooking.<br/>
“Grandma,” Hyuck said. His grandmother turned around. She had a warm smile.<br/>
“Sunshine, you’re here. And this must be Mark!" She shuffled over to them and bowed in a greeting. Mark bowed back.<br/>
"Nice to meet you." Mark said, still a little nervous. Hyuck held his hand and squeezed it slightly.<br/>
"Nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot from Haechan ,here." Hyuck's grandmother went back to cooking and Hyuck started to give Mark a tour.<br/>
"Why does she call you Haechan?"<br/>
"Oh, well I used to love sunflowers as a kid, so she gave me the nickname full-sun. AKA Haechan in Korean." Mark smiled at that. He thought it was a really cute name. "So you saw the kitchen, now this is the living room."<br/>
The room was open and had a few couches in it. It had a tapestry on the wall and a small coffee table. All the colors were warm. They walked past another door but didn't go in. Then they went up the stairs, Mark gushed over the cute baby photos and Hyuck tried to drag him away. The first door they went into was his grandparents room. It was neat and small. The next room was a bathroom. Then two spare bedrooms, one occupied by a sewing table. They walked up more stairs and came to a room. It was Hyuck's room. It had a desk and a queen bed, it also had two bean bag chairs on the floor. One corner held a mannequin without limbs or head with a suit jacket on it, held up with pins. On his bed were two plushies. His walls were a light blue, that let the light shine. He had pictures above his desk of a man and a woman and him as a child. Mark assumed it was his parents. </p><p>"Wow. I feel like I'm getting to see into your childhood." Mark remarked.<br/>
"Well, I actually lived in the spare room until I was 13 and then they let me move up here." Hyuck said, sitting on his bed. Mark sat next to him.<br/>
"Still." He looked around once more. "Do you sew?"<br/>
"Mmhm. A little. I used to design my clothes a lot freshman year." Hyuck placed a hand on Mark's knee.<br/>
"That's cool. You should design me something." Hyuck nodded.<br/>
"You know, there's something I've always wanted to do in this bed."<br/>
"What is it?" Mark said, not getting what Hyuck was suggesting. Hyuck sighed and pushed Mark into the bed and kissed him. Mark kissed back after a moment, but then pulled apart.<br/>
"Babe… your family is downstairs."<br/>
"I know. I just want to make out a little." Hyuck went in for another kiss, getting on top of Mark. Mark pulled back once again.<br/>
"Seems a little more than making out…"<br/>
"They won't bother us. If so, it will be Jeno coming up." Hyuck reassured him.<br/>
Then he went in for another kiss, this time moving his tongue into Mark's mouth. Mark moved his tongue in Hyuck's mouth. Their mouths felt like the closest they could ever feel.<br/>
Mark rolled over and flipped Hyuck so he was on the bottom. He felt Hyuck smirk on his lips. He started kissing down Hyuck's neck, leaving a mark from the suction. Hyuck moaned slightly.<br/>
Mark slowly moved up his neck, peppering him with kisses. He went back to kissing his lips. Hyuck bit Mark's lip slightly and Mark's body shivered, loving the feeling.<br/>
Hyuck wraps his arms around Mark's waist.<br/>
"Hey, guys-" Jeno said as he opened the door. They both break apart and clammer to sitting positions on the bed. "Dinner is ready." Hyuck and Mark are both out of breath from kissing and scrambling apart.<br/>
Jeno looked at them suspiciously. "I know you were making out. Just come downstairs and don't look too flushed." Jeno said as he left.<br/>
Mark let out a sigh. He felt his cheeks and they felt hot to the touch.<br/>
"Aw, man.. " Hyuck said as he got up. Hyuck pouted.<br/>
Mark rolled his eyes and kissed him quickly before getting off the bed and dragging Hyuck with him. They walked down both sets of stairs and came to the dining room. </p><p>Mark sat next to Hyuck and Jeno and his mother sat across from them. His grandmother sat at the end of the table. The table held rice, spicy radish and 6 other side dishes, Kimchi Jjigae, and braised pork belly. Mark’s mouth watered.<br/>
“This looks amazing, Mrs. Lee.”<br/>
“Call me grandma, dear,” the old lady said with a smile.<br/>
“Is grandpa going to be coming to dinner?” Hyuck asked.<br/>
“He's having a tough day today."<br/>
They all ate and Mark thought it was as delicious as he thought it would be.They ate in mostly silence, the lull of them eating. When they were finished Mark and Hyuck offered to do the dishes. Mark scrubbed and Hyuck dried.<br/>
“I like being domestic with you.” Hyuck remarked as he bummed hips with Mark. Mark smiled at him. They went through all of the dishes and when they were done they joined the rest of the family in the sitting room.<br/>
They played a card game Mark has never heard of and by the time they finished it was already 8pm. The sun had already set since it was winter, and snow began falling.<br/>
Mark looked outside at the snow, knowing he had to leave before it got worse.<br/>
"It was very nice to meet you, Grandma. Nice to see you again, Ms. Lee and Jeno." They responded back and went into separate rooms.<br/>
Hyuck wrung his hands, looking out at the snow.<br/>
"What if you didn't go out in the snow… I'm sure you can sleep over."<br/>
"It's fine. I can handle it." Mark went to the closet to get his coat, but Hyuck's cold hand stopped him.<br/>
"Please…" his voice was a mere whisper. Mark looked Hyuck in the eyes and saw fear. Hyuck seemed really worried about him going out in the snow.  Mark sighed.<br/>
"Are you sure your grandma is okay with it?" Hyuck nodded vigorously, his hands clinging to his shirt sleeve.<br/>
"Okay, let me call my Aunt." He took out his phone and dialed the number. He stepped into the other room. “Hey, Noona, can I sleep over Hyuck’s?”<br/>
“Yeah. It’s getting pretty stormy out so it’s probably better to. Taeyong said he was worried about you getting home,” his aunt replied.<br/>
“Tell him not to worry! Thanks.”<br/>
“Your grandfather wants you home by 12pm tomorrow. He said he has something special planned.”<br/>
“Okay. Thanks.” Mark replied.<br/>
“Stay safe. Love you.”<br/>
“Love you too.” Mark hung up and walked over to Hyuck and Jeno, who were talking in the living room.</p><p>“Is Jaemin going to meet your grandparents too?” Mark asked, sitting down on a couch opposite to Jeno and Hyuck.<br/>
“Hmm… Maybe.” Jeno said, thinking about it. “I’m not as close to them as Hyuck is, they practically raised him.”<br/>
“Yeah, but they love you too.” Hyuck said, looking at Jeno.<br/>
“I know. I just don’t think it’s that big a deal if he does or doesn’t” Jeno shrugged. Hyuck slung his arm around his cousin.<br/>
“So, how serious are you and Jaemin?” Hyuck asked, raising his eyebrows at him. Jeno punched him in the arm.<br/>
"I know how "serious" you guys are. You're really loud."<br/>
Mark blushed furiously. Hyuck hit Jeno on the shoulder.<br/>
"Shut up," Hyuck says quietly. "I meant have you said I love you."<br/>
"Uh, he's said I love you…" Jeno said sheepishly.<br/>
"What, he's said it, but you haven't?" Mark asked, leaning toward.<br/>
"Y-yeah. I uh, express my love in another way." Jeno said.<br/>
"You need to say it back, dude."<br/>
"Yeah. He likes physical affection, but he also needs affirmation. He's kinda needy." Mark mentions.<br/>
"Yeah… I know. I just feel… awkward." Jeno runs a hand through his hair.<br/>
"You just have to do it. If you feel it, do it." Hyuck leans back and smiles at Mark.<br/>
"I'll try." Jeno sighs. They decide to put on a movie and Mark sits next to Hyuck. They make fun of the movie the whole time.<br/>
After the movie they all went to their bedrooms. Jeno usually sleeps in Hyuck's room, but he set up a bed in the sewing room.<br/>
"Can I take a shower?" Mark asks.<br/>
"Mmhm. I'll get you a towel." Hyuck brings him a towel. Mark kisses him lightly then closes the bathroom door to shower. He uses Hyuck's shampoo and likes the fact that he'll smell like him.<br/>
He finished taking a shower and got out. Hyuck was waiting to take one too. When Hyuck got out he saw Mark sitting on his bed, in his t-shirt and sweatpants.<br/>
Hyuck got dressed and sat on his bed with Mark.<br/>
"I like you in my clothes." Hyuck kissed Mark on the cheek. Mark smiled. "I'd like you more without that on, though…"<br/>
Mark rolled his eyes.<br/>
"You are horny, aren't you?" Mark kissed him. Hyuck melted into the kiss. He honestly just missed being close to him. Hyuck laid down and let Mark do whatever he wanted to him. </p><p>They snuggled in bed, calming their breathing. Mark Kissed Hyuck on the forehead.<br/>
"I love you. Like a lot." Hyuck said, snuggling up on Mark's chest, listening to his slightly quickened heartbeat.<br/>
"You're just saying that because I fucked you," Mark joked. Hyuck smirked.<br/>
"Well, yeah. But I also really love you. The sex is just the cherry on top." Mark chuckled.<br/>
"I love you a lot. Like so much… " Mark said. It kinda scared him how much he loved his boyfriend. He's pretty sure he'd do anything for him. Mark's heartbeat slowed and soon he was falling asleep. </p><p>When Mark awoke he was alone in Hyuck's bed. He got up and got dressed. He walked downstairs. The kitchen was filled with delicious smells.<br/>
Hyuck had an apron on and was helping his grandmother cook. Mark smiled at the scene.<br/>
"Good morning." Mark said, Hyuck looked up and smiled.<br/>
"How did you sleep, Mark?" His grandmother asked.<br/>
"Good. Thank you, Grandma." Jeno scoffed when he said good. Mark gave him a death glare.<br/>
"Can you set the table, babe?" Hyuck asked. Mark nodded. He set the table and soon they were all eating together. Afterwards Mark checked the time.<br/>
"I have to go soon." Mark made his way to the door.<br/>
"Wait, hold on. I want you to meet someone else." Hyuck said following him. Mark nodded. Hyuck led him to the room that they didn't go in and it held a study with tons of books.<br/>
"Granddad?" Hyuck announced himself. There was a man sitting in a leather chair. The man looked at them.<br/>
"Haechanie!"<br/>
"Hi." Hyuck smiled. His grandfather had a faint smile on his face, but a distant woman. "this is my boyfriend, Mark." He turned towards Mark but looked past him.<br/>
"Hi. Nice to meet you." Mark said awkwardly.<br/>
"Boyfriend? You're too young for that. You're only 6." He patted Hyuck on the head.<br/>
"No, remember I'm 17. Remember my birthday party?"<br/>
"The one with the dinosaur? Yes. You're mom worked so hard on it! She planned everything. Where is she?" Hyuck's smile disappeared. Mark held his hand. Hyuck completely shut down.<br/>
"It was nice to meet you. We have to go now." Mark said as he dragged Hyuck out of the room. Once he closed the door he looked at Hyuck. "Are you okay?"<br/>
"Sometimes talking to him makes me sad. " Hyuck says without emotion. Mark gives him a hug.<br/>
"Want to talk about it?"<br/>
"No. I'm okay." He smiles at him, but Mark knows it's fake.<br/>
"I don't want to leave you like this…"<br/>
"Babe. I'm fine. You have to get home. Your grandfather said. " Hyuck kissed him on the cheek.<br/>
Mark reluctantly put his coat on. He walked outside and there was at least 4 inches of snow on the ground.<br/>
"Woah. Hyuck get your coat on!" Hyuck got his coat on and headed out.<br/>
"Look at all this snow!" Mark smiled at him. Hyuck smiled back. Mark made a snow ball and threw it at him.<br/>
"Hey!" Hyuck retaliated. They ended up hitting each other with about ten snowballs then Mark fell into the snow and made a snow angel. Hyuck followed, laughing.<br/>
Mark leaned over to Hyuck and kissed him. Hyuck kissed back, deepening the kiss.<br/>
"Babe… you have to go." Hyuck said.<br/>
"But, I want to kiss you." Hyuck kissed Mark and bit his lip, making him moan. Then Hyuck pulled back and sat up.<br/>
Mark pouted, but sat up. They helped each other up and Hyuck hugged Mark.<br/>
"When can we hang out next?" Mark asked.<br/>
"I'm free Saturday." Hyuck said. Mark nodded.<br/>
They said goodbye and Mark walked to the train station.</p><p>When Mark got back to his grandfather's house, everyone was gathered in the living room.<br/>
"I want you guys to meet your soon to be family." His grandfather announced. Mark was really confused. He looked at Jaemin and he looked clueless as well, then he looked at Jaehyun and he looked down at the ground. Mark then looked to his brother for information and saw the safest look on his face.<br/>
"This is Jin Hye-Sook." A girl walked into the living room. She had a small round face and long black hair. She bowed.<br/>
"Wait, why is she joining our family?" Mark asked.<br/>
"She and Taeyong will be wed after he graduates." Mark looked to his brother who avoided eye contact with him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Jeju Island</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark knocked on the door of his brother at 12am. There was a shuffling noise then a door unlocking and Taeyong peeked out.<br/>
"Can we talk?" Mark asked, nervous and sad. Taeyong let him in. They both sat on his bed, facing each other. Not talking.<br/>
"Do you like her?" Mark asked.<br/>
"She's okay. " Mark sighed.<br/>
"I'm sorry. I can't believe they're making you do that." Mark hugged his brother.<br/>
"It's okay. I knew it was coming…" Taeyong put on an act, that he was fine, but really he was so sad. He just discovered he loved Ten and now he had to get married to someone else.<br/>
"Hyung, you can be honest. What about Ten? What's going to happen with you guys?" Mark was trying to care for his older brother, but he wasn't letting him.<br/>
"We'll breakup I guess…" Taeyong guarded his heart towards Mark and wouldn't have to see it. "I'm tired. We can talk later." Mark sighed and got up.<br/>
"Okay… if you need anything, I'm here." Mark exited the room and went to his own spare room that he was staying in. </p><p>Saturday, it was the 23rd of December at 12pm Mark made his way to a brunch place. He had a lot of thoughts swarming in his head since Friday and he was excited to forget about it for a while.<br/>
"Hey, babe!" Hyuck said as he entered the small restaurant.<br/>
"Hi." Mark hugged Hyuck and then sat down across from him.<br/>
"How are you?" Hyuck held his hand across the table.<br/>
"I'm fine. How are you?" Mark lied. He wasn't fine, but he wanted to pretend he was for a few hours.<br/>
"I'm good. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. What is your family doing?"<br/>
"Uh, my family is having breakfast I think. Then we'll go to Christmas service in the morning before we have other stuff to do. What about you?"<br/>
"We are having Christmas Eve dinner. Do you think you could come?" Hyuck asked quietly. Soon a server came to ask what they wanted and they ordered.<br/>
"Yeah, I think I can. We are having Christmas dinner instead of on Christmas Eve." Hyuck smiled at him.<br/>
They all ate and talked for a while then they paid and walked out. They walked hand and hand down the street.<br/>
"You know Jeno said I love you to Jaemin finally." Hyuck mentioned.<br/>
"I know. I heard him crying." They both laughed at that.<br/>
"Me and my cousins are going to our family house on Jeju Island on the 26th to the 1st. Do you and Jeno want to come?"<br/>
"Yeah! That sounds like a fun time!" Hyuck smiled at him and Mark wished he could see that smile always.<br/>
"I drove here, do you want me to drive you home?"<br/>
"As long as I can spend more time with you." Hyuck hugged Mark's arm, leaning his head on his shoulder.<br/>
They walked to Mark's car and got in. It was actually his family's car, but he used it when he was in Korea.<br/>
They talked for 20 minutes and sang along to songs on the radio. They pulled up to Hyuck's house and parked. Hyuck leaned in to give Mark a goodbye kiss.<br/>
Once their lips met Mark deepened the kiss and put a hand on Hyuck's nape of his neck. Hyuck bit Mark's lip slightly the way Mark liked. Mark's eyes started watering and tears began to fall, but he kept kissing him, wanting to be closer. Hyuck felt Mark's tears on his cheek and pulled out.<br/>
"What's wrong?" Hyuck asked, wiping a tear from his face. Mark kept crying, sniffling. Hyuck hugged him and rubbed his back.<br/>
"I don't want to lose you… I-I want to be with you forever…" Mark whispered into his shoulder. Hyuck pulled out of the hug and looked Mark in the eye.<br/>
"You won't lose me."<br/>
"B-but… he's going to make me marry someone else." Tears started falling down his cheek again.<br/>
"What are you talking about, babe?" Hyuck said in a soft voice.<br/>
"Hyung, he is forced to marry some girl even though he likes Ten…"<br/>
"What?" Hyuck was shocked.<br/>
"We have arranged marriages… that's what it's like… he won't let me be with you. He- he doesn't know I'm gay… of that I found someone I love. " Mark cried into his hands. Hyuck hugged him again.<br/>
"It will be okay…" Hyuck reassured him, but he wasn't sure it would. </p><p>______________________________</p><p>Mark and Hyuck had had a pretty good Christmas. Mark went to Hyuck's family dinner and got to meet some other cousins. Everyone loved Mark and thought they were perfect together.<br/>
Hyuck went to church with Mark and his family, but they had to act like just friends in front of his grandfather. </p><p>Mark picked up his phone and called Hyuck.<br/>
"Hello?"<br/>
"We are on the way to pick you guys up." Mark said. Jaehyun, Jaemin, Taeyong, Jisung and him were in the big SUV on their way to pick them up for the trip to Jeju. They could have flown, because they have a private plane, but they thought it would be fun to drive to the ferry and take the car with them.<br/>
“Why did we have to get up so early?” Hyuck whined. It was 6:30am.<br/>
“We have to get there by dark. It takes 4 hours to get to the ferry and the boat ride is 2 hours and 40 minutes. Be ready babe.” Mark hung up after that, Jaemin who was sitting next to him laughed.<br/>
“You are so blunt in the morning.”<br/>
“You don’t know half of it,”Taeyong, who was driving, said. Doyoung scoffed. He was sitting in the other front seat, helping with directions. Jisung was in between Jaemin and the door, head leaning on Jaemin’s shoulder and sleeping.<br/>
“Shut up, I’m tired.” Mark pinched the bridge of his nose. Jaehyun was sprawled out in the back seat, sleeping. “Why did we decide to drive?”<br/>
“You liked the idea.” Doyoung mentioned.</p><p>Once they got Jeno and Hyuck they were on the road headed to the fairy. Jaehyun sat Next to Jeno and Jaemin. Jisung sat Next to Mark and Hyuck. Hyuck laid on Mark's shoulder and fell asleep.<br/>
They all woke up around 8am and started  belting songs on the radio, laughing and having fun. They stopped at a rest stop and got some food, ramen and tteokbokki. They then piled into the car for an hour more.<br/>
When they got out of the up car, it was on the boat and they could smell the fresh sea air. Even though it was cold, they enjoyed the fresh sea air.</p><p>The house was huge and had a pool and hot tub out back. It was a beachfront house. Mark and Hyuck claimed a room with a king bed and a bathroom off to the side.<br/>
“Dang, this place is nice!” Hyuck said as he sat on the bed.<br/>
“Mhmm.” Mark put the bags down and started unpacking a little bit. Hyuck walked over to him and hugged him from behind.<br/>
“I’m glad I’m here with you.” Mark smiled slightly. Ever since Taeyong got engaged Mark started pulling back, he had a hard time letting himself fall deeper in love when he wasn’t sure they’d be together.<br/>
There was a knock on the door. Mark opened it. Jaehyun stood there.<br/>
“We’re going to go grocery shopping if you want to come.”<br/>
“No, I think we’ll stay here.” Hyuck said. Jaehyun nodded and left. Mark looked to Hyuck. “I want you to myself.” Hyuck said with a wink. Mark rolled his eyes at him.<br/>
“Whatever.”<br/>
“Do you want to go on a walk?”<br/>
“Sure.” Mark answered as he closed a drawer. They got their coats on and walked along the rocky beach, the waves splashing up. The sky was gray. They walked hand in hand.<br/>
“Mark? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”<br/>
“What, no. Why would you say that?” Mark looked at Hyuck. Hyuck looked at the rocks. He found it so interesting apparently.<br/>
“You seem… far away. Like you are here physically, but not mentally.” Mark stood in front of him and held both of his hands.<br/>
“You did not do anything. I promise.” Hyuck looked up at him, still looking nervous. “I’m sorry. I have been distant.”<br/>
“Why?”  Mark sighed.<br/>
“I love you. Too much actually… and They are going to make me marry some woman… I didn’t want to fall deeper in love.” Mark looked at the ground. Hyuck tilted his head up and kissed him.<br/>
“Even your reason for being distant is sweet.” Hyuck kissed his hand. “I know you want to protect your heart, but then we can’t enjoy it now. We will figure it out when it comes to it. For right now, let's just be hopelessly in love.” Mark smiled at him.<br/>
“Okay. I’ll enjoy it.” Mark put his hands on Hyuck’s cheeks and Kissed him passionately. Hyuck melted in his hands, he missed this passion. Hyuck kissed back, putting his tongue in his mouth. They remained kissing for a few minutes, then made their way inside because they were getting cold.<br/>
“Can we enjoy it in our room?” Hyuck whispered in his ear. Mark took his hand and they went up to their room, stripping off their jackets as they entered. Hyuck took Mark’s sweatshirt off and then he took his off. Mark kissed Hyuck, pushing him towards the wall. Hyuck leaned up against the wall and put his hand around Mark’s waist, hands moving down to his butt.<br/>
Mark was aggressive and unabashed in the bed, but was quiet and awkward most of the time. While Hyuck was sweet and slow most of the time, but in other situations was aggressive and mischievous. </p><p>Mark rested one of his hands on the wall and the other started slipping Hyuck's jeans off. Hyuck broke the kiss to breathe. Mark started kissing down his neck.<br/>
"You're so fucking good at that." Hyuck said quietly. Mark smiled against his neck. Mark started kissing Hyuck's lips again. They slowly moved as one to the bed. Mark pushed Hyuck down on the bed and got on top of him.</p><p>Mark wrapped his arms around Hyuck. He loved snuggling after sex. He loved being close to him. Mark sighed happily while running his hand through Hyuck’s brown hair.<br/>
“I think I’ve fallen deeper…” Mark whispered.<br/>
“I have that effect,” Hyuck joked. Mark rolled his eyes. “But really, I love you deeper each day.”<br/>
Mark kissed his neck, biting it ever so slightly. Hyuck moaned.<br/>
“Babe…” Hyuck said, but then he moaned again as Mark bit his ear. “Should we go help with dinner?”<br/>
“No.” Mark kissed down his neck again.<br/>
“We should. Come on…” Hyuck sat up and Mark sighed. “We should help them or at least pretend to.” Mark sat up.<br/>
“Fine.” They got dressed and made their way downstairs. Everyone was either in the kitchen or playing a card game at the table.<br/>
"Anyway we can help?" Hyuck asked, leaning over the island countertop. Jaemin and Taeyong were cooking. Jaemin turned around and looked at Hyuck's neck.<br/>
"No, we're good, lover boy. You seem to have some bruises on your neck that you have to tend to." Hyuck looked confused then felt his neck. Jaemin smirked as Hyuck blushed.<br/>
"Mark, you left a mark." Jeno chimed in from the dining table. Mark blushed.<br/>
"So what if he did?" Hyuck said, grabbing Mark's face and kissing him. Mark kissed back, forgetting that he was in front of his friends. Hyuck pulled back and everyone in the room watching rolled their eyes.<br/>
"We have a child here, be respectful!" Jeno joked, putting his hand over Jisungs eyes.<br/>
"Hyung, I've seen it before." Jisung removed Jeno's hand and played down the card. </p><p>Soon dinner was ready and they all ate. The food was delicious because Jaemin and Taeyong were really good Cooks.<br/>
"Anyone want soju?" Jaehyun asked. Taking peach soju out of the fridge. All of them had a few glasses except for Jisung and Taeyong.<br/>
"We should do karaoke!" Jaemin suggested. They all agreed.<br/>
Doyoung sang rolling in the deep by Adele and Jaehyun sang sunrise by GOT7. Taeyong sang sparking by B1A4. Jeno and Jisung sang a Twice song. Mark and Hyuck sang someone like you by Adele and Jaemin sang the numa song.<br/>
By the time they finished it was 1am. Taeyong went to bed and so did Doyoung. Jisung went to bed also. </p><p>It was the 28th and they had done lots of things on the island. They went fishing and they hung out in the hot tub.<br/>
Mark woke up early to make breakfast with Jaemin. They were making eggs when Jeno came down.<br/>
"Good morning." Jeno said sleepily.<br/>
"Good morning, love." Jaemin said happily.<br/>
"Morning." Mark said as he tried to flip the egg, but it just folded over. He sighed.<br/>
"Why are you cooking? You're not good at it."<br/>
"Shut up, I was trying to get Jaemin to teach me."<br/>
"He's a lost cause." Jaemin joked.<br/>
Soon everyone was downstairs except for Hyuck. They all were ready to eat.<br/>
"Where's Hyuck?" Taeyong asked.<br/>
"He might still be asleep, I'll go get him." Mark ran up the stairs and opened the door to their room. Hyuck was laying in bed. Mark rubbed his back. Hyuck turned towards him.<br/>
"Oh, you're awake. Breakfast is ready." Hyuck just turned back around. "Are you okay?"<br/>
"I'm not feeling well. I'll come down when I feel better." Hyuck said quietly.<br/>
"Okay, do you need anything? Tums?" Hyuck shook his head and covered his head in the blanket. Mark kissed the top of his head and then left.<br/>
Mark came back down and sat down.<br/>
"Hyuck said he wasn't feeling good." Mark made a plate for Hyuck and put it aside.<br/>
"Is he okay? Does he need anything?" Doyoung asked.<br/>
"He said he didn't need anything." Jeno gave him a look that said i need to talk to you alone.<br/>
They all ate and Jeno and Mark offered to clean up.<br/>
"What's up? It seems like you know something." Mark asked as he dried a dish Jeno washed.<br/>
"I think I know why Hyuck doesn't feel well."<br/>
"Why?"<br/>
"Well, today is the 9th anniversary of the fire that killed his parents." Mark stopped in his tracks. Hyuck was grieving, he wasn't sick. "He usually gets sad around this time, a couple of years ago he didn't eat or get up the whole day."<br/>
"I'm going to go bring him food." Mark said, taking the plate he made up and a glass of orange juice.<br/>
"Don't force him to talk about it. He retreats further." Jeno added. </p><p>"Thanks." Mark headed up the stairs and entered his room. He placed the food and glass on Hyuck's bedside table. Hyuck looked at him. "You need to eat a little bit. Sit up, please." Hyuck could tell even if he protested Mark would make him so he sat up.<br/>
"I really don't feel like eating…" Hyuck mumbled as Mark placed the plate in front of him.<br/>
"Just eat a little, please." Hyuck put some fruit in his mouth and chewed it and swallowed, but he looked like he was forcing himself to.<br/>
"Are you feeling any better than before?" Hyuck shook his head. "What's wrong?" Hyuck continued to force himself to eat a bit of the eggs.<br/>
"I don't have any energy. And my head hurts… and… " Hyuck stopped speaking.<br/>
"It's okay not to be okay." Mark sat by his feet on the bed and rubbed his back. Tears started falling down Hyuck's face. Mark put the plate on the table and hugged him. Hyuck cried with anguish on his shoulder, gripping onto Mark.<br/>
"I… I miss them. So much… I miss," he started crying loudly again. Mark patted Hyuck's back. Soon he was calming down.<br/>
"Sometimes… sometimes I wonder why I survived…" Hyuck whispered like he was afraid to say it. Mark looked him in the eyes.<br/>
"There is a reason you survived. You got another chance. Isn't that good?"<br/>
"Sometimes…"<br/>
"No, it's really good you're in this world. I'm really glad I met you. " Mark held his hand, it was cold and clammy. "I'm so glad you're here, babe."<br/>
"I am glad I was here to meet you." Hyuck said, looking into Mark's eyes. "Can you cuddle with me and watch friends?" Hyuck asked. Mark smiled.<br/>
"Of course." Mark got into bed and set his laptop up. Mark wrapped his arms around Hyuck and watched Friends. Hyuck fell asleep in his arms. Mark stayed there for a bit but his arm was falling asleep so he slipped out, careful to not wake him. He went downstairs and Jisung and Jaemin were playing a video game while Jaehyun was reading and Jeno was drawing. Doyoung and Taeyong went grocery shopping again.</p><p>"How is he?" Jeno asked.<br/>
"He's okay. He fell asleep." Mark got sparkling water out of the fridge.<br/>
"That's good. Did he eat?"<br/>
"A little. I'll make him eat more later." Jeno nodded. Mark looked out the window and it was snowing. "when did it start snowing?"<br/>
"Not long ago." Jisung said as he mashed buttons on his controller.<br/>
"I love snow." Jaehyun said softly. He seemed to be in one of his nostalgic moods. Mark played a few card games with Jeno. Soon Taeyong and Doyoung came back from the store. Mark helped put away groceries and then Taeyong and Doyoung started making a late lunch.<br/>
A few minutes later Hyuck came down in Mark's sweatshirt and sweatpants. His face was still tear stained and his hair was messed up severely.<br/>
"Hi, Hyuck!" Jaemin said once he came in. Hyuck gave a small wave.<br/>
"How are you feeling?" Mark asked him from the couch.<br/>
"Fine." Mark grabbed his hand and pulled him down to sit on his lap. Hyuck wrapped his arms around Mark's neck and laid his head on his shoulder.<br/>
"Lunch will be ready in 15 minutes," Taeyong said.<br/>
"Are you hungry?" Mark asked Hyuck.<br/>
"No… but I'll eat." Hyuck mumbled. Hyuck softly kissed Mark’s neck. “Thank you.” Mark smiled and tightened his grasp on Hyuck’s waist. Hyuck felt calm in his lap.<br/>
“Do you want to play a game later, Hyung?” Jisung asked Hyuck.<br/>
“Maybe, Jisung-ah. It depends on if I feel better.”<br/>
“Okay!” Mark ran one of his hands through Hyuck’s hair. Hyuck closes his eyes, melting under the touch. They stayed like that for a few moments, listening to Jaemin and Jeno bickering and Jisung just wanting to play a game.<br/>
“Lunch is ready.” Taeyong said as he set the food on the table.<br/>
“Thank you!” Jaemin said. They all gathered around the table and ate. It felt like a family. Most of them were related, but it was their own version of family.<br/>
Jisung and Jaehyun cleaned up the food and did the dishes. Hyuck seemed to have a bit of his energy back after lunch. He was playing Doyoung in a video game. Hyuck let out a horay after he won and rubbed it in Doyoung’s face. Doyoung was faking being mad, because he was just happy Haechan was feeling better.</p><p>After they finished cleaning up they all decided to go out in the snow and build snow forts. Jisung hopped into a snowbank, acting like a child again.<br/>
They built forts and had a snow battle, once the sun started setting they all went inside. They peeled off their wet clothes and got into pjs.<br/>
They all met downstairs for ramen and hot cocoa.<br/>
Mark sipped his hot chocolate, trying to warm his fingers. He watched Jeno, Jisung and Jaemin play Sorry. Hyuck was sitting above him, playing with Mark’s wavy hair. Everything was peaceful and it seemed like nothing could disrupt them. </p><p>They all went to bed not long after.<br/>
“How are you feeling?” Mark asked, cuddling Hyuck in bed.<br/>
“I’m okay. I feel better. I still miss them, but I will always miss them.” Mark nodded and held his hand under the covers. They fell asleep soon after. </p><p>In the middle of the night Mark woke up to a loud whining noise. He looked around, confused. Then he realized the small boy curled up in bed next to him was the one whining. He touched Hyuck’s shoulder and he flinched.<br/>
“Hyuck?” Mark said as he shook him. Hyuck was dead asleep, but was crying, sobbing.<br/>
“Where did you go?” Hyuck whispered.<br/>
“Hyuck, I’m right here.” Mark wanted him to wake up. Hyuck started lashing out, he started digging his nails into his arms. Mark held his arms and tried to constrain him. “Hyuck, calm down.” Mark said sternly.<br/>
“Don’t go... “ Hyuck whispered. He went limp but still sobbed. Mark relaxed and just rubbed his arms.<br/>
“I won’t leave. I’m here.” Hyuck just laid on his chest and fell back into sleep. Mark kissed the top of his head, wiping his tears away. Hyuck woke up suddenly as Mark was falling asleep. He sat up.<br/>
“Hey, babe. Go back to sleep.” Mark said sleepily. Hyuck laid down again.<br/>
“I had a terrible dream.”<br/>
“I know. You were crying in your sleep. Do you want to talk about it?”<br/>
“My parents… they got me out of the fire, but… They went back to help my neighbors. A-and…” Hyuck stopped. Mark hugged him tightly.<br/>
“I’m sorry. That’s a terrible thing to see.” Mark kissed Hyuck on the cheek.<br/>
“I hate remembering… I have night terrors often when I do… I’m sorry.” Hyuck said.<br/>
“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m always here for you. Always.”<br/>
“I love you.”<br/>
“I love you too.” Mark said. Mark snuggled up to him and soon they fell asleep.</p><p>Mark remembered that trip very well. A lot had happened. They spent the new year's drinking and watching fireworks. Jaemin almost blew Jeno's head off with one, but Jeno forgave him. Mark and Hyuck were glued to each other.<br/>
Their trip back to Seoul was uneventful. When they got back to their houses, it was almost time for them to go back to America. They packed up and said goodbye to their relatives. This vacation was a good break, but when Mark got back he had to face his last semester of highschool.<br/>
Mark called Hyuck to ask if he needed a ride to the airport, but he didn't answer. He called once more and still no answer. Then he called Jeno and it rang for a long time, but he answered.<br/>
"Hello?" Jeno sounded tired.<br/>
"Hey, do you guys need a ride to the airport? And why isn't Hyuck answering?"<br/>
"Uh… we don't need a ride. And, um, Our grandfather died… " Mark was shocked, the doctors said he had 3 more years or more to live.<br/>
"What?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Prom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"He passed away this morning, in his sleep. So, uh. We are going to be staying in Korea for a little longer." Jeno said with no emotions.<br/>"Are you okay?" Jeno sighed.<br/>"No. But I'm trying to be." <br/>"Is Hyuck okay?" <br/>"Um, no. He's spacing out and crying on and off. " <br/>"Tell him to answer his phone. I'm so sorry. If you need anything let me know."<br/>"Thanks." Mark hung up. Hyuck must be devastated. His grandfather was practically his father. Mark called Hyuck again and there was an answer.<br/>"..."<br/>"Hey, how are you doing? I'm so sorry."<br/>"..." <br/>"You must be really sad. If you need anything I'm here." <br/>"Thanks." Hyuck whispered. "I have to go."<br/>"Okay. Well, I'll see you when you get back. I love you." <br/>"Love you too." Hyuck hung up. Mark sighed. He wished he could go comfort him, but their plane ride was in an hour and they had to leave for the airport now. Mark wanted to hug him and comfort him badly. <br/>"Do they need a ride?" Doyoung said as he sling his backpack over his shoulder.<br/>"They have to stay here a while longer… for a funeral." Mark said quietly.<br/>"What? Who died? Are they okay?" Taeyong asked.<br/>"Their grandfather died. They're… fine. They probably will be back in a few weeks so they'll miss some school." Mark said as he grabbed his suitcase. The long winter break was over 7 hours after they got back in America. The high schoolers had to go back and the college kids had to go back 2 days later. <br/>"I'm sorry. That sucks. " Doyoung added. </p><p>After the 17 hour flight, Mark was exhausted and had to be at school in 7 hours. He showered and went right to bed. <br/>When Mark woke up he had two texts, he checked one of them from Hyuck.</p><p>From:Hyuckie♥️😘<br/>Have a good day at school.</p><p>To:Hyuckie♥️😘<br/>Thanks. How are you?</p><p>Then he checked the other text. It was from Jeno.</p><p>From: Jenobean<br/>Hyuck isn't doing so well. Can you try to video call him sometime soon?</p><p>Mark got dressed and brushed his teeth. Then he called Hyuck as he went downstairs. Hyuck answered after a few rings, his swollen face appearing. <br/>"Hi!" Mark said, excited to see him. <br/>"Hi… are you getting ready for school?" <br/>"Yep. I'm just gonna grab an apple for breakfast and Jaemin will drive us there."<br/>"Hurry up, loser. I'm starting the car!" Jaemin yelled as he went out the door, Jisung following. Mark grabbed an apple and hurried out the door. <br/>"How are you doing?" Mark said as he put headphones in. <br/>"Hmmm.. tired. The funeral is tomorrow." Hyuck's eyes were glassy and Mark wanted to hug him so badly. He got in the car and they were off.<br/>"How are you feeling about that?"<br/>"I haven't been to a funeral in a while." Hyuck said. "But… I wish you were here."<br/>"Me too, babe." Mark replied. He really wished he could comfort Hyuck and help him through this time. <br/>"I think we'll come back in a week."<br/>"That's good! How's your grandma?"<br/>"Uh… she's really sad, but she's okay." Hyuck said quietly. "I'm going to go to bed. I'm really tired."<br/>"Okay, love. I love you."<br/>"Love you too." Hyuck hung up. Mark sighed and put his phone in his pocket.</p><p>"How's he doing?" Jaemin asked.<br/>"He seems okay, but I think he's hiding his sadness." Mark ran his hands through his hair. "I wish I was there." <br/>"Yeah. But you can't be, so just try to support him however you can, right now."<br/>"Yeah…"<br/>Soon they were at school and immediately got drown in homework. </p><p>For the next week Mark would stay up late to talk to Hyuck and would try to comfort him. Eventually Hyuck started being his old self, making jokes and being sassy. But sometimes Hyuck would have days where it was hard to get out of bed. Hyuck spend those days talking to Mark or watching Netflix. He was away from him for two weeks.<br/>Soon it was the day Hyuck and Jeno were returning. Mark went to meet him at the airport along with Jaemin.<br/>When they got there they checked the flight number and went to the gate. Jeno and Jaemin were looking over heads and the crowd as people came off the plane. <br/>Mark spotted that brown hair he loved and his heart beat faster. He smiled and waved over to Hyuck who was talking to Jeno. <br/>"Where are they?" Jaemin asked.<br/>"Right there." Mark pointed to them and Hyuck looked up at Mark. He smiled widely. Jeno's mom was walking a bit behind them, but they spotted her too and waved. They made their way over to Mark and Jaemin and they both hugged each other immediately. <br/>"I missed you so much." Hyuck whispered, still in the hug.<br/>"I missed you too." They released reluctantly. "Hello, Mrs.Lee. how was your flight?"<br/>"It was long. Thanks for asking though." She smiled tiredly at him. She looked exhausted. Her usual perky face had huge under eye bags. Her face was paler than usual too.<br/>"Then let's get going." Jaemin said. They picked up their luggage and then went into the car. Mark was driving, Mrs. Lee was in the passenger seat and Jeno, Jaemin and Hyuck were in the back. <br/>They talked about the delicious food they ate and the family they got to see. When they got to Hyuck and Jeno's house they wished they had longer with them. <br/>"Can Jeno and Hyuck come over to study?" Jaemin asked Mrs. Lee. <br/>"Sure." They said goodbye and helped get the luggage in the house. Then they were of to Mark and Jaemin's. Hyuck sat in the passenger seat, putting his hand on Mark's thigh while he drove. <br/>"Are we really going to study?" Jeno asked. Jaemin gave him a smirk.<br/>"If you want… or we could do something else… " Jaemin replied.<br/>"Wow, horny already, I see." Mark commented.<br/>"Jaemin's always horny." Hyuck added.<br/>"Shut up, Hyuck. You are too." Jaemin leaned closer the front and glared at Hyuck.<br/>"Actually I'm always down to fuck, but I'm not horny a lot." Hyuck took his hand off of Mark's thigh and pushed Jaemin's head back. Jeno sinkered slightly. "Mark is usually the one who's horny." Hyuck leaned towards the back and faced them.<br/>"Babe…" Mark said in a warning tone.<br/>"He's like totally different in the bedroom. Like you know how he's quiet and awkward? In the bed he's-" <br/>"Hyuck!" Mark said louder. <br/>"Alright, alright. I'll stop." Hyuck said, turning to face the windshield once again. <br/>"Wow, I never thought Mark would be the dom." Jeno said. Mark blushed.<br/>"Wait, so if Mark is the dom, then is Hyuck the sub? With his personality? How?" Jaemin added.<br/>"Well-" Jeno started.<br/>"Can we stop talking about this!" Mark said through gritted teeth.<br/>"Fine." Jaemin said and then he pulled a pouty face. Jeno smiled at him and kissed him. <br/>"What was that for?" Jaemin asked.<br/>"I missed you." <br/>"Aw, I missed you too." Jaemin smiled at him. Hyuck made a fake gaging noise and Jaemin glared at him. <br/>Soon they were at the house and they all got out. They went to their respective rooms. <br/>"Can I shower real quick? I smell like airplane." Hyuck asked. <br/>"Go for it." Mark said as he placed his keys on his desk. <br/>Hyuck went into the bathroom and took a shower, towards the end of the shower Mark came into the bathroom. Hyuck froze, not knowing who it was at first, then he recognized the hair from behind the steam covered glass.<br/>"Why're you in here?" Hyuck asked as he washed out the conditioner. <br/>"I missed you." Mark said quietly. Hyuck smiled. <br/>"Ugh, you're so cute." Hyuck turned the water off and stepped out.<br/>"Ooo, and I missed that too." Mark said, looking him up. <br/>"Just hand me the towel." Hyuck said, putting his hand out. The towels were hung behind Mark. <br/>"What if I don't want to?"<br/>"Then I'd be dripping wet." Hyuck held out his hand once more.<br/>"What if I like that?" Hyuck rolled his eyes and leaned over Mark to get the towel. His body brushed against Mark's. Hyuck put the towel on and walked into Mark's room. <br/>"Don't put your clothes on. It'd be a waste of time." Mark said. Hyuck looked at him and raised his eyebrow. <br/>"Babe…"  <br/>"Do you not want to? It's okay if you don't. We don't have to."<br/>"No, I do. You were just really blunt." Mark smiled and kissed him. Hyuck kissed back, hand dropping from his towel and to Mark's cheek. "But this time, I'm on top." Mark raised his eyebrows at him. "I want to treat you."<br/>"Okay." Mark said as Hyuck pushed him on the bed.</p><p>Mark and Hyuck cuddled in his bed. <br/>"I love you." Mark said, kissing his cheek.<br/>"I love you too. I missed you."<br/>"Me too, but you're here now." Mark said as he wrapped his arms around his waist.</p><p>They got dressed a bit later and went downstairs to get food. They made ramen and ate, then they snuggled on the couch to do homework. <br/>Mark had his arms around Hyuck and Hyuck was reading a textbook and Mark was typing on his computer.<br/>Suddenly the front door opened and Mark turned to see his father. He distanced himself from Hyuck and stood up.<br/>"Hi, dad." Hyuck turned around to see him.<br/>"Hello, Min-Hyung."<br/>"I didn't know you were coming home."<br/>"I'm only here for 7 hours." He said as he set his briefcase down.<br/>"Hello, Mr.Lee." Hyuck said.<br/>"Oh, hello, Donghyuck. How are you?"<br/>"I'm okay, sir. Catching up on homework." His father got a call on his cellphone.<br/>"Sorry, excuse me, please." He walked into his study. Mark relaxed and let out a sigh.<br/>"Are you okay?" Hyuck asked.<br/>"Yeah… just, I'm scared that he'll find out." Mark closed his laptop. "Let's go upstairs."<br/>"Okay." Hyuck packed up and they went up the stairs to his bedroom. They sat on his bed and started studying again. <br/>"Babe?"<br/>"Hmm?" He said as he typed.<br/>"What would your dad do if he found out?"<br/>"Uh… probably force me to marry a girl. Maybe not let me see you… why?"<br/>"Just wanted to know." Hyuck said quietly. <br/>"Don't worry. It won't happen." He placed a kiss on his forehead. Mark held his hand. Hyuck nodded his head. </p><p>Spring creeped up on them like a sly fox. Soon the grass was green and the trees were budding. The flowers were popping up and the birds were flying back. It was the week of prom and all the upperclassmen girls were waiting to be asked. <br/>"Why are they all crazy about prom?" Mark asked, shoving a French fry in his mouth.<br/>"Because they want a fairytale event. They want to be swept off their feet before they have to go out into the real world." Jaemin added, he was sitting on Jeno's lap. <br/>"They like to dress up." Yukhei said from across the picnic table.<br/>"Who doesn't." Hyuck said, stealing a French fry off of Mark's plate. <br/>"Whatever. My mom said we could rent out a Airbnb for after prom! So our after-party will be lit!" Jaemin excitedly announced. <br/>"Is Jungwoo coming?" Mark asked Yukhei. They were dating now, have been for two months. <br/>"Yeah. I said he didn't have to, but he wanted to." <br/>"He loves dressing up." Hyuck added. They all nodded.<br/>"Don't you think Jeno asked me in the cutest way possible!?" Jaemin bragged.<br/>"Yeah, so cute…" Yukhei said.</p><p>They had heard the story many times, When Jeno and Jaemin were hanging out a week ago, Jeno attached a note to a bunny. That bunny hopped over to Jaemin and the note read  "will you be my bunny and go to prom with me?" Jaemin squealed so loud and made everyone know how cute his boyfriend is.</p><p>"I just mentioned it to Jungwoo and he said he'd come. You guys are extra."<br/>"Yeah, extra cute!" Jaemin said looking into Jeno's eyes. He gave an eye smile at his idiot boyfriend.<br/>"You technically haven't asked me yet…" Hyuck stated. <br/>"Oh. Yeah… want to go to prom with me?" Mark said.<br/>"Uhhhh…" Hyuck joked, "Sure, I guess." He gave Mark a smile. Mark shook his head at him and gave him a kiss on the lips. <br/>"I feel like I'm fifth wheeling." Yukhei said as he stole a French fry off of Jaemin's plate.<br/>"You are. But we love you too!" Jaemin said cheerily, pinching Yukhei's cheek. </p><p>Soon it was prom night and Mark and Jaemin got ready in their joint bathroom.<br/>"Are you and Hyuck matching?" Jaemin asked, while fixing his hair. He had dyed it pink a week ago and it was still as vibrant as ever.<br/>"Yeah. We both have Maroon ties." Mark said fixing his tie. He checked his watch that Hyuck gave him for Valentine's day. "We better go."<br/>They went downstairs and ran into their Aunts wanting to take pictures. They complied and said goodbye to Jisung. They hopped in Mark's car and they were on their way.</p><p>They knocked at Hyuck and Jeno's door and waited. Jeno's mom answered the door.<br/>"Wow, you boys look amazing!" She said with a smile.<br/>"Thanks!" Jaemin said cheerily.<br/>"Boys! Your dates are here!" She yelled up the stairs. Jeno came down first.<br/>He was wearing a black suit with a pink tie that matched Jaemin's hair. His hair was parted to the side and you could actually see his forehead. <br/>Jaemin gushed about how handsome he was. Mark rolled his eyes, then Hyuck walked down.<br/>He wore a black suit that fitted to his body and a maroon tie. He had on highlighter that made his cheeks glow and a small bit of rose gold eyeshadow. He walked over to Mark and smiled.<br/>"You look… wow." Mark said, not knowing how to describe it.<br/>"Thanks. You look great too." Hyuck smiled widely at him. <br/>"Can I take some pictures of you guys before you go?" Jeno's mom asked. They complied and took a few pictures together. <br/>They drove to Olive garden and met Yukhei and Jungwoo there. Jungwoo went all out, his suit was the same color as Yukhei's tie and he had dyed his hair a deep red. <br/>"Dang, zoos!" Hyuck exclaimed when he saw him. Jungwoo smiled at him. They all ate, talking about one thing or another. Then they all got into Mark's SUV and drove to the venue. <br/>Their school rented out a suite with a dinning room area and a dance floor as well as a fireplace and a rooftop area. <br/>"Guess what I brought!?" Jungwoo said in the car.<br/>"What?" Jeno asked.<br/>"Booze!" He pulled out a bottle of vodka and a margarita premixed thing. <br/>"Nice!" They all took a shot or two except Mark who was the designated driver. <br/>When they finally got there they went into the elevator and went to the 6th floor. When the doors opened they could see a photo booth, a fireplace and some couches. The lights were crystal and gave a warm glow to the room. They all checked in and then went to the tables. All the drinks were non alcoholic. There was soda and sparking grapejuice as well as lemonade. <br/>The center pieces were branches in vases with crystals hanging off of them. The walls were all glass and you could see the other buildings out of them. They took pictures together and crammed into the photo booth. <br/>"I can't believe Mark and Yukhei are graduating." Jaemin said as they claimed a table. <br/>"Why are you leaving me, babe?" Hyuck whinned. Mark rolled his eyes.<br/>"30 minutes isn't that far. Plus you can sleep over." <br/>"Ugh, I'm going to either have to hear your sex or leave." Yukhei said. He and Mark were going to share a room when he moved into the family house. <br/>"You can join." Hyuck said, raising his eyebrows at Yukhei.<br/>"I'm right here!" Jungwoo said, putting his arm around Yukhei. <br/>"You can too!" <br/>"No. " Mark said with a sigh. "I want you all to myself." Hyuck smiled and kissed him on the cheek.<br/>"Gross." Jeno said. <br/>"Guys, I'm feeling it." Hyuck said, realizing he's starting to feel buzzed from the alcohol. <br/>"Me too!" Jaemin said, getting up. "Let's dance!" He dragged Jeno to the dance floor. Hyuck and Mark followed and Yukhei and Jungwoo did also. They all danced , only a couple other people being on the dance floor. After a few songs a slow song was played. Hyuck put his hands around Mark's waist and Mark did the same to him. All the couple's were dancing together. <br/>Hyuck leaned his head on Mark's shoulder. <br/>"I love you." Hyuck whispered. Mark smiled.<br/>"I love you too." He said back. They stayed like this and swayed back and forth. When the song was over Hyuck didn't want to let go, but he did because Mark said he was tired. They went to the couch and sat down, holding hands. Hyuck leaned his head on his shoulder. <br/>"I wish I could graduate with you." Hyuck said.<br/>"It's okay. It's only a year. And you can come over every weekend if you want." <br/>"Hmmm…" Hyuck wanted to kiss Mark badly, but he knew teachers were watching. Hyuck stood up and went to the bathroom, making eyes at Mark. A few minutes later Mark entered the bathroom as well.<br/>"You okay?" Mark asked, not getting the hint. <br/>"Mmhm." Hyuck said and then he wrapped his arms around Mark's shoulders and kissed him. Mark kissed back. Hyuck deepened the kiss and pushed Mark up against the tile wall. Mark allowed him to push up against his body. Hyuck bit his lip slightly and Mark stiffled a moan. Mark pulled apart after hearing a noise from outside the door. <br/>"Babe. I know you want to make out, but we're in a bathroom." <br/>"I know. I just didn't want to get seen by teachers." Hyuck kissed him again and Mark smiled into the kiss. After Hyuck pulled apart for air Mark smiled.<br/>"How many shots did you take?" <br/>"Uh, 2 or 5 or something." Hyuck replied.<br/>"I'm gonna guess like 4." Mark kissed his forehead. And lead him out of the bathroom. They made their way to the table, Yukhei and Jungwoo were sitting and Yeri was next to them. <br/>"Hi, Yeri!" Hyuck said. Mark made him sit down. Mark then went to get him water and insisted he drank it. <br/>"Mark's giving off mom vibes," Yukhei said. <br/>"No, he's just caring for his baby." Yeri said. <br/>"Mmhm, I'm his baby." Hyuck said, leaning on Mark's shoulder again. Mark rolled his eyes, but smiled anyways. <br/>"Where are you going after you graduate, Yeri?" Mark asked.<br/>"Same as you, Markus!" <br/>"Oh, cool! What's your major?" <br/>"Graphic design." <br/>They danced a while more after that, then they headed out to the Airbnb. It was a house near the venue that had 3 bedrooms and a big living room. It also had a pool. <br/>When they got there they all went to the living room. Jeno untied his tie and laid on the couch, Jaemin sat under his legs. <br/>"Someone should order delivery." Yukhei said as he sat on the other couch.<br/>"I will." Mark said and he ordered fried chicken for everyone. <br/>Everyone ate like they hadn't eaten in forever. Even though they had dinner 5 hours ago. They all then turned on a hilariously bad movie. Hyuck laid  on Mark's lap, he was draped across him, with his feet hanging off the armchair they were sitting on. <br/>Hyuck started sleepily kissing Mark's neck. Mark smiled. <br/>"You tired, babe?" Mark whispered to him.<br/>"Hmmm…" Hyuck leaned his head on his shoulder.<br/>"Hey, we're going to head to bed." Mark announced the rest of the group. They mumbled goodbye. Mark picked Hyuck up and stood up. <br/>"I can walk, babe… " Hyuck said sleepily. Mark carried him upstairs to their bedroom. <br/>"Mmhm." Mark set him on the bed. Hyuck snuggled into the bed. “You should change, babe.” Mark riffled through his bag and pulled out Hyucks clothes, then he pulled out his from his own bag. He threw the clothes at Hyuck, but he was already sleeping. Mark changed into his sleep clothes.</p><p>He sighed and unbuttoned Hyuck’s dress shirt to change him. Hyuck woke up slightly and looked at him.<br/>“What’re you doing?” Hyuck mumbled.<br/>“You’ll be uncomfortable if you sleep in a suit.” Mark took his shirt off then he helped him put on a tshirt. <br/>“Or are you trying something else?”<br/>“Nope. You’re tired and kinda drunk.”<br/>“Awe, you respect me…” Hyuck said quietly.<br/>“Of course I do, baby. Do you want to put pj pants on?” Hyuck slightly woke up and changed. Mark gave him a washcloth to wipe the makeup off. Then Mark lifted the sheets and Hyuck snuggled in. Mark then climbed into bed and Hyuck snuggled up to him. Mark stroked his hair.<br/>“I love you. Thanks for taking care of me. You’re the best.” Hyuck mumbled into his chest. Mark kissed his forehead.<br/>“Always. That’s what you deserve.” Hyuck happy sighed and fell asleep. </p><p>Prom was a night all of them would remember. After prom the seniors didn’t have to go to school. They were supposed to intern. Mark interned at his father’s business and he was pretty busy. He got to work with Taeyong though, which he liked.<br/>When graduation rolled around he already accepted a summer internship at hid Dad’s business. He graduated and did all the formalities, then he celebrated with Hyuck alone.</p><p>The summer went by quickly, Hyuck and Mark saw each other less often than they wanted. They went to the lake together with Mark’s cousin’s which was fun. Soon Mark moved into a room with Yukhei and he started classes. <br/>One day after he came home from classes he got a call from Hyuck. He answered as he went up to his room.<br/>“Hey, babe.” Mark said as he set his backpack down.<br/>“Hi.”<br/>“How are you?”<br/>“Uh… How was your first week of classes?” <br/>“Fine. Is something wrong?” Mark asked as he took out his laptop to check his emails.<br/>“Just one of those days. Couldn’t get out of bed to go to school. I’m okay.”<br/>“I’m sorry, babe. When was the last time you felt like that?” Mark asked with concern.<br/>“Uh,last week.”<br/>“Oh, that often? Have you considered talking to someone about that?”<br/>“Not really.”<br/>“Do you want to come over friday? I can pick you up from school.” <br/>“Sure. I miss you.”<br/>“I miss you too. I have to go call my dad. I forgot to do something for my internship.”<br/>“Okay. Love you.”<br/>“Love you too.” Mark said and then hung up. He called his father, but his mind was wandering to Hyuck. He was worried about him. His depressive episodes had gotten worse after spring. He wished he could make him get help, maybe talk to a therapist. </p><p>Soon they got into the routine of things. Mark would be busy with classes during the week and then Hyuck would sleep over the entire weekend and they would do homework and cook together. Soon it was their one year anniversary and Hyuck came over.<br/>“Hi,babe.” Mark hugged Hyuck. Hyuck hugged back.<br/>“What are we doing?” Hyuck asked. Mark smiled and took his hand.<br/>“It’s a surprise. Close your eyes.” Hyuck closed his eyes and Mark led him. Hyuck could feel the cold wind.<br/>“If I die, it’s your fault.” Mark chuckled. <br/>“Open your eyes.” Mark said and Hyuck opened his eyes to see The porch swing they first made out on, decorated with twinkle lights and now there was 2 rose bushes on each side. There was a picnic blanket on the grass with two glasses of wine and stuffed mushrooms and a pasta dish. “Uh, Kun cooked it for me… cause you don’t want to taste my cooking.”<br/>“I love it.” He kissed Mark as a thank you. They sat down to eat and the food was so good. They drank some wine and remenced on their fun dates along the way.<br/>“I cant believe we just made out on this swing without knowing each other very well.” Mark said.<br/>“Yeah. I was surprised because I feel like you were still in the closet.” Hyuck held Mark’s hand.<br/>“I was, but I knew what I wanted.” Mark gazed at him lovingly. Hyuck smiled at him and went in for a kiss. Mark kissed back and brushed his hand on his cheek. Mark was so in love with Hyuck. He would do anything for him. They spent the night being together at the place they first realized they wanted to date.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Hyuck's mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fall had finally come and it was the begining of november. The leaves were falling and They were deep into school. Mark was struggling to keep up with college and a boyfriend, and doing some work with his father. Mark was studying late night when he got a call from Jeno.</p><p>“Hey, what’s up?”Mark said as he typed on his laptop.<br/>“Uh, I need your help.” Jeno said, he sounded distressed. Mark shut his laptop.<br/>“What’s wrong?” <br/>“Come here. Bring Yukhei. It’s about Hyuck.” Mark hung up and woke Yukhei from his sleep. Yukhei looked at Mark, disoriented.<br/>“We have to go. Come with me. Hyuck needs help.” Yukhei jumped out of bed and they got in the car.<br/>“Did Jeno say what is going on?”<br/>“No.” Mark was driving fast.<br/>“Hey, slow down. We can’t help if we die.” <br/>They got there in 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes. Mark rushed out of the car and they went inside. They heard Jeno talking upstairs so they ran upstairs. They found Jeno outside of Hyuck’s bedroom. Pleading for him to open it.<br/>“Hyuck, open up please!” Jeno said. He turned to see them. “Oh, guys, thank God you’re here.”<br/>“What’s going on?” Mark asked, worried out of his mind.<br/>“He, Hyuck has been really down lately then he… he said he didn’t want help and started crying randomly then went to his bedroom and locked himself in. I think he might be… suicidal.” Mark started tearing up, he was so sad that Hyuck is struggling. <br/>“H-hyuck, Please open the door. It’s me, Mark.”<br/>“You think I’m crazy… Let me be alone.”<br/>“Babe, I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you just need someone to talk to.” Mark said softly. He heard a shuffling and then Hyuck opened the door. He still had tears rolling down his face. He looked small, and helpless. Mark hugged him. Hyuck cried harder.<br/>“I-I don’t think I want to die… I don’t but… why do I want to…” Hyuck sobbed into his shoulder. <br/>Mark looked up at Jeno and Yukhei, they new what they needed to do.<br/>“Where’s your mom?” Yukhei asked.<br/>“She was at a book club. I’ll call her.” Jeno went to call her.<br/>“I’m crazy, I’m crazy.” Hyuck repeated.<br/>“No, you’re not. You just need help. Calm down baby.” Hyuck sobbed into his shirt. Mark held him. Soon Jeno’s mom came home and Hyuck had calmed down by then. Mark held him tightly as Hyuck rested his head in the crook of his neck. Hyuck breathed in Mark's scent. Jeno's mom ran upstairs and asked Hyuck to come with her. Hyuck didn't want to leave Mark. Jeno, Mark and Yukhei tried to calm him down. They got him to leave with her eventually.<br/>“Mark, are you okay?” Yukhei asked. Mark was sat on the floor running his hands through his hair. <br/>“No.” Mark started silently crying. “I couldn’t help him…”<br/>“That’s not your fault. He refused help until it got to this point.”<br/>“He’s getting help now.” Jeno said quietly.<br/>“Jeno do you want to sleep over at ours?” Yukhei asked<br/>“No, I should be here when my mom comes back.”<br/>“Do you want us to stay?” Yukhei asked.<br/>“No, I’m okay alone. Take Mark home.” Yukhei helped Mark up and brought him to the car. Mark had a vacant look in his eyes. Yukhei drove. Mark didn’t want to talk even though Yukhei tried. When they got there Mark went straight to bed. Yukhei sighed and looked at Mark.</p><p>Hyuck was admitted to the hospital and had to stay there for a week or more. Mark sent letters everyday and he got one back every other day. </p><p>Dear Hyuck,<br/>How are you? I’m drowning in homework, but thankfully thanksgiving break is soon. I miss you, but I know you are in the right place right now. What kind of things do you do? I really wish you were here to see how ridiculous rooming with Yukhei is. I do like living with everyone though. Kun is a great cook. I love you. Get better so you can get out, okay?<br/>                            Love, Mark<br/>Dear Mark,<br/>I’m okay. I miss you a lot. We had a pastor come in and play the guitar for us. It reminded me of you. Play the guitar for me when I get out? I miss your singing voice. We have mandatory group therapy, and then I have one on one with a therapist. The medicine they are giving me helps me think clearer. I really want to hug you. I’m trying to get better. I swear. I’m sorry I put you through this. I love you.<br/>                                    Love, Hyuck</p><p>They sent letters like this for a week and a half. Finally Hyuck was getting out. Mark and Jaemin and Yukhei were gathered at Jeno’s house. <br/>Jeno’s mom walked in with Hyuck. Mark’s face lit up. Hyuck walked over to Mark and Hugged him tightly. Mark hugged him tightly. Hyuck melted in his arms. He needed his hug.<br/>“I missed you.”Hyuck whispered.<br/>“I missed you too.”<br/>They all sat down and talked like normal. Hyuck seemed less like himself, but he still enjoyed seeing them again. <br/>They all said their goodbyes so Hyuck could rest. Hyuck stopped Mark from going just yet. <br/>"Mark, can I talk to you?" <br/>"Yep. I'll be out in a minute guys." <br/>They walked to a room without anyone in it. Hyuck grabbed his hand.<br/>"I'm sorry." Hyuck said quietly.<br/>"You don't-"<br/>"No. I do have to be sorry. You tried to get me help and I didn't want to think about it. I'm sorry I put you through that. And I'm sorry you had to see me like that… I'm amazed you still like me." <br/>"Hyuck, I accept your apology for not getting help, but I don't care that I saw all that. I'm glad I was there for you. I want to be there for you, but you have to let me." <br/>"I'll try." Hyuck smiled at him. Mark gave him a small kiss. <br/>"I love you." <br/>"I love you too. Thank you." Hyuck replied. Mark nodded and then he left. <br/>Hyuck wished he could stay, but he knew he needed to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Thanksgiving</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Thanksgiving day and Mark's family invited Hyuck's to come over for dinner. They arrived at 1pm to help cook.<br/>
Hyuck's grandmother flew in after hearing about Hyuck. She came in and greeted Mark. The women were cooking while the kids sat in the living room, talking. Hyuck sat next to Mark on the couch. Mark held his hand. Jisung was telling a story about this weird kid in his class who liked to eat baking soda and all the Hyungs listened closely.<br/>
Hyuck leaned his head on Mark's shoulder.<br/>
"How's having your grandma here?" Mark asked. Playing with Hyuck's hair lightly.<br/>
"It's good. She has been tucking me in though… every night she comes to pray with me and then she tells me how much she loves me."<br/>
"Awe, that's kinda cute."<br/>
"Yeah, except that I'm a 17 year old." Mark chuckled. Hyuck smiled at him. "She's thinking of moving here."<br/>
"Really? That's cool."<br/>
"Yeah… although I feel like she's just worried about me."<br/>
"Well, I'm sure she is, but also she has nothing for her in Korea anymore."<br/>
"True." Hyuck squeezed his hand lightly. Mark rubbed his thumb over Hyuck's knuckles.</p><p>Soon dinner was ready and they prayed together and ate. The food was amazing, the most American cooking that they had done probably ever. And they did it well.  The older kids, not Jisung, had wine with dinner. Some of them had maybe too much. After dinner they cleaned up and all lounged around, some of the adults falling asleep and Jisung fell asleep on Jaemin's lap.<br/>
"We should play truth or dare!" Jaemin suggested. A few of them groaned, but they all agreed it would be better than nothing.<br/>
"I'll get a bottle." Jaehyun said, getting up and bringing back an empty soju bottle. Jaehyun spun it on the table in front of them. It pointed at Doyoung.<br/>
"Truth or Dare, Doyoungie." Taeyong said.<br/>
"Truth."<br/>
"I have one!" Jungwoo said excitedly. "Do you like Taeil? " Everyone looked at Doyoung. He blushed.<br/>
"Uh, yeah. Kinda…"<br/>
"Ooo, juicy!" Jaemin exclaimed, Jisung lightly woke up in his lap, but Jaemin just stroked his hair and he fell back asleep.<br/>
"You should ask him out." Jeno said<br/>
"No… he definitely doesn't like me." Doyoung said quickly. "Let's move on!" He spun the bottle and it landed on Mark.<br/>
"Truth or Dare?" Doyoung asked him.<br/>
"Dare."<br/>
"Ooo, I dare you to kiss Jeno." Jaehyun said. Everyone turned to him. They were surprised but kinda wanted to see it too.<br/>
"What?" Mark retorted.<br/>
"It's okay, babe. I don't care. It's just a small kiss." Hyuck said. Mark sighed. He looked to Jeno and he shrugged.<br/>
"Fine." Mark moved off his seat and went over to Jeno and placed a small kiss on his lips. Mark noticed how soft his lips were. Jeno's eyes widened at the touch.<br/>
"Get off my boyfriend, Markus!" Jaemin said, faking being jealous. This time Jisung woke up and lifted his head. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.<br/>
Mark moved back to his seat.<br/>
"Hey, Jaemin. Come here." Hyuck said. Jaemin walked over to him. Hyuck whispered something in his ear and Jaemin smiled.<br/>
"Hey, since you guys kissed each other. We should too."<br/>
"Yeah." Hyuck agreed. Jaemin kissed Hyuck, and it wasn't like the one Mark gave Jeno, it was a sloppy kiss. Jaemin held the back of Hyuck's neck. After Jeamin pulled out he looked to Jeno who had his hands in his head and Mark who looked shocked. He smirked and went back to his seat. Jisung was extremely confused, he looked like he was about to combust.<br/>
"You guys are wild." Jungwoo said with a smile. Mark put his arm around Hyuck.<br/>
"Don't kiss my boyfriend, Jaemin." Mark said protectively.<br/>
"He asked for it." Jaemin said with a smirk.<br/>
Mark kissed Hyuck passionately, cupping Hyuck's face in his hand. He bit his lip slightly and Hyuck made a small noise. Then he pulled back.<br/>
"I get it, you guys are dating! Let's move on. " Jeno said. Hyuck smiled widely at Mark.<br/>
"You're over protective, huh?" Hyuck whispered in his ear.<br/>
"I don't like seeing you kiss anyone else." Mark whispered back. "You're mine."<br/>
Hyuck smiled and blushed slightly. He didn't even notice that the game was still going on. They played a little longer, not much happening except Taeyong almost threw up because he had to drink soy sauce.<br/>
Hyuck felt more used to these crazy people. He'd only been back for 3 days, but he felt so much more present with his friends. He also missed Mark. Mark had given him space, letting him adjust to being around them again. But he had missed Mark's touch, his reassuring words. He had missed his soft smile and his morning voice.<br/>
"Can I sleep over tonight?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Yeah, if you want to." Mark replied with a smile.<br/>
Mark was staying at his childhood home for the break, so we're all his cousins. It was late so Mrs. Lee and Hyuck's grandmother left, but Jeno and Hyuck stayed. They all went to their rooms at around 12am.<br/>
Hyuck changed into Mark's sweatshirt and sweatpants and Mark changed into a similar outfit. Mark held Hyuck and Hyuck rested his head on his chest, hearing the rhythm of Mark's heart beating.<br/>
"How are you, babe?" Mark asked.<br/>
" I'm great. I love being with you." Hyuck wrapped his legs around Mark's leg.<br/>
"I love it too."<br/>
"I feel like I was gone for a month.." in reality Hyuck was only gone for two weeks.<br/>
"Mmhm. It felt long. But now you're here and you're better." Mark kissed his forehead.<br/>
"Yeah. But, I'll still struggle with being sad… and anxious."<br/>
"Mmhm. I know. But now you can think more clearly. And I can help you." Mark tightened his arms around him.<br/>
"You're the best." Hyuck whispered.<br/>
"You're so worth it." Mark whispered back. Hyuck smiled. He wanted to be like this every night. He wanted to live with Mark, he wanted to marry Mark. He wanted to have kids with Mark and grow old with him.<br/>
"Mark, when I graduate… can we do this a lot?" Mark looked at Hyuck.<br/>
"What do you mean?"<br/>
"Laying with each other, sleeping with each other."<br/>
"Yeah. We can. Maybe I'll convince Doyoung to let us share a room. He usually is against couple's doing that, but even if we don't you can sleep in my room often. "<br/>
"Okay." Hyuck smiled and started drifting off to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Summer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When school started again Hyuck tried to catch up on what he missed. He wished he didn't have to, but he still did. He tried not to get stressed out. He saw Mark more often, they would meet for study dates every Wednesday and then Hyuck would sleep over on Friday and Saturday night. The weeks all blurred together and soon it was winter.<br/>
Christmas passed quickly, Mark spent Christmas Eve with Hyuck's family along with Jaemin and then Hyuck and Jeno spent Christmas day with their family.<br/>
Mark's dad hasn't been home for more than 3 hours at a time. Mark didn't mind because he could be open about his relationship around his aunts.</p><p>Hyuck got sad around the date his parents passed, but he was open to Mark about how he felt.<br/>
Hyuck had days where he didn't want to get out of bed, but he resisted them and went to school anyways. He could get through it if he didn't give in.<br/>
The new year came and Mark finished his first semester of college.<br/>
Hyuck spent the new year with Mark and his roommates. All 16 of his roommates loved Hyuck too. Even if Mark had to go somewhere on the weekend his roommates would hang out with Hyuck.. Johnny would joke that he liked Hyuck more than Mark.<br/>
Spring passed fast. Soon Taeyong was graduating and Hyuck, Jeno and Jaemin were as well. Mark sat through Taeyongs graduation dreading the afterwards. He loved living with his brother again for another year. Taeyong was supposed to get married in a week, to a girl he somewhat knew, but didn’t love. Mark sat next to his dad and he wanted to yell at him.<br/>
After the graduation his father invited a bunch of business people to his house to mingle with him. Mark had to be there for a while too. He stuck to Taeyong.<br/>
“How are you doing?” Mark asked him when they had time alone.<br/>
“Fine.” Taeyong said. “Actually, I’m not.”<br/>
“I have a plan, just endure this for a little longer.” Mark slipped away to his room and called a few friends. Twenty minutes later, Taeyong was in a conversation with some bank manager. Mark motioned him to the back door.<br/>
“If you’ll excuse me.” Taeyong followed Mark out the back door. Suddenly he was blindfolded he tried to lash out at the attacker, but they grabbed his arms. He was led somewhere and got into some type of vehicle. Taeyong was demanding to know who it was, but he also knew Mark wouldn’t do anything to harm him.<br/>
“Take it off of him. He knows who it is.” a familiar voice said.<br/>
“But we aren’t there yet!”Someone whined. Someone pulled off the blindfold and He saw Mark, Johnny, Yuta, and he looked over to see Kun driving.<br/>
“Surprise!” Johnny yelled.<br/>
“What are you guys doing?” Taeyong asked, eyes adjusting to the light.<br/>
“It’s your bachelor party!” Yuta said as he gave Taeyong a shot glass and filled it to the brim with vodka. “Drink!” Taeyong took a shot and winced as it burned. Mark smiled at him.<br/>
“Where are we going?” Taeyong asked.<br/>
“A boat house!” Kun said from the drivers seat.<br/>
They arrived at a boat house. Jaehyun and Si-Cheng greeted them at the door. They rushed them in and everyone was there, all his roommates and soon to be living in the house.<br/>
At first the party was wild, dancing and shots, but then they divulged into karaoke and making jokes about each other. Taeyong was glad he was with his friends.<br/>
Soon a lot of people fell asleep on the couches. Taeyong sat next to Ten. He held his hand. Ten stood up and led him to a back room. Ten looked like he wanted to talk, but before he could speak Taeyong kissed him, Ten kissed back and put his hand on the nape of Taeyong’s neck. Taeyong pushed Ten into the wall and started kissing down his neck. Ten moaned slightly. Taeyong moved his hand towards Ten’s but and he then lifted him up. Ten wrapped his legs around Taeyong’s waist and Taeyong moved towards the bed. Ten flipped Taeyong so he was on the bottom and started kissing down his neck. Taeyong moaned, then Ten kissed his lips again and Taeyong started crying all of a sudden.<br/>
Ten pulled back. He wiped a tear from his eye.<br/>
“What’s wrong, babe?” Ten asked quietly.<br/>
“I…won’t be able to do this again.” Taeyong kissed ten again,but he was still crying.<br/>
“Baby… I don’t want to do this if you’re just going to cry. We can talk.” Ten got off of him.<br/>
“No, I’m sorry… I want to, but… I don’t want to marry some girl. I want to marry you.” Taeyong sat up. Ten smiled at him.<br/>
“You don’t have to. You can refuse baby.”<br/>
“No, I can’t. I’ll be disowned and I have to be the heir so Mark can do what he wants-”<br/>
“But what about your happiness? You deserve happiness too, baby. You’re already miserable.” Ten caressed Taeyong’s cheek as he cried. “What about me? Are you just going to forget about me?”<br/>
“No, I could never forget about you.” Taeyong kissed him intensely. He bit Ten’s lip slightly and pushed Ten down on the bed.<br/>
“You better not.” Ten smirked as he kissed down Taeyong’s neck. </p><p> </p><p>Taeyong woke up with a massive headache. He looked over and Ten was sleeping still. He got dressed and came out of the room. He walked to the kitchen to find everyone making breakfast for them.<br/>
“Morning, Hyung!” Mark said as he handed him a glass of water. Taeyong drank it greedily.<br/>
“Thanks.”<br/>
“Hyung, are you okay?” Mark asked. Taeyong looked at him and Mark really wanted to help him. Taeyong started crying. “What’s wrong?”  He hugged Taeyong.<br/>
“I don’t want to get married. I-I want to marry Ten. I love Ten.” Taeyong cried into his shoulder. Mark patted his back. Mark  gave Johnny a look that said What do I do?<br/>
“Hyung, we will come up with a plan.” Mark said. </p><p>Mark’s plan was to tell his father that Taeyong wasn’t getting married. Taeyong and Ten would disappear for a few weeks or longer to let things cool off.<br/>
Mark told his father and gave him a note Teyong wrote. His father was furious so Mark dipped and went to his house. He called Taeyong.<br/>
“Hey, Hyung. “<br/>
“Hi. How’d it go?”<br/>
“Uh… it went. He just needs time to cool down.”<br/>
“Okay…”<br/>
“Hey, Mark-ah!” Ten said from the other side of the phone.<br/>
“Hi, Ten. Please take care of him. I’ll let you know when you should come back.”<br/>
“Okay!” Ten said cheerily.<br/>
“I love you.” Mark said.<br/>
“Love you too. Stay safe.” Taeyong said and then he hung up.<br/>
Mark was in the middle of the family drama and he hated it. He put it aside to get ready for Hyuck's graduation.<br/>
He dressed up semi formal. He had a deep blue button up shirt on that were tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans. He put a black semi suit jacket on. He went downstairs and got the flowers he got for Hyuck and waited for Jaehyun, Doyoung, and Jungwoo. The seats were limited so basically only family members could come. Since jaemin was also graduating.<br/>
They drove to the theater that they were graduating in and found seats by their Aunts and Jisung. They chatted about room arrangements as they waited for it to start. Since 6 more people would be moving in, they decided to switch up the roommates.<br/>
Mark really badly wanted to room with Hyuck, but Doyoung said that might not be a good idea. Jaehyun said he didn't care who he roomed with.<br/>
Soon the graduation started and they all cheered when the graduating class walked on stage. The principal did a speech, then the valedictorian did.<br/>
Jeno was the one who was 2nd in class so he did a speech.<br/>
"Hello everyone. When I was asked to make this speech I had no idea what to say, but after discussing it with my boyfriend, I had a few ideas." He nodded at Jaemin when he said that. You could see Jaemin's smile. "I think high school is a weird time, where you feel like everyone is pressuring you to grow up, but also treating you like a kid still. That's why high school is probably one of the hardest times in our lives. " He paused. "But it is also a time where we experimented, where we had fun. I'm thankful for all the people in my life during this time. Let's all continue being there for each other as we go off to college." He looked at the graduating class. " Good luck everyone!"<br/>
The crowd eruptet into applause. Mark couldn't believe how grown up Jeno acted now. He still had his ridiculous moments, but he really was maturing.<br/>
Then something unexpected happened. The principal came up to the podium.<br/>
"Now, we have a song sung by our very own Donghyuck Lee."<br/>
Hyuck got out of his seat and sat at the keyboard that was on the stage. He looked nervous. He sat down and spoke into the mic.<br/>
"Mr. Medvidic asked me to sing a song. So I picked this one." He began playing the piano and started playing a song Mark recognized from his favorite movie lala land. His voice was beautiful and emotional. Mark's smile grew as he sung. After he ended everyone clapped for him. Mark made eye contact with him and Hyuck smiled.<br/>
Then they all say down and got called up by name. Their section cheered when Jaemin was called and when Hyuck and Jeno were as well.<br/>
After the graduation they all spilled out into the street, waiting for the graduates to come out. Mark was talking to Yeri, who's sister was graduating this year when a hand appeared on his shoulder. He turned around and Hyuck was standing there in his deep blue gown and hat. Mark hugged him.<br/>
"Congratulations!" Mark said. Hyuck smiled.<br/>
"Thanks."<br/>
"You didn't tell me you were going to sing." Mark held his hand and squeezed it.<br/>
"It was a surprise…" Hyuck said shyly.<br/>
"You were so good." Mark kissed him softly. Hyuck smiled at him. They met up with Jeno and his mom who was still tearing up that Jeno and Hyuck were graduating.<br/>
Jeno, Jaemin and Hyuck took pictures together and then Hyuck and Mark took pictures together. One where they were kissing and one where Mark was holding Hyuck up wedding style.<br/>
Mark's aunts insisted all the cousins took a picture with Jaemin.<br/>
Hyuck's grandmother requested a picture with Mark and Hyuck.<br/>
They all went out to dinner together to celebrate. They all joked and we're maybe a little too loud for the people around them, but they didn't care. They were having fun, they were celebrating. </p><p>That summer Jeno, Hyuck and his family went to Korea for a month, while Mark interned at his family business again.<br/>
Hyuck and Mark didn't mind the distance, they felt close through video calls even if they weren't really in the same room.<br/>
When Hyuck came back he practically moved into Mark's room. When Mark would leave in the morning Hyuck would kiss him goodbye and when Mark came home Hyuck would make dinner with Kun for him. </p><p>Ten and Taeyong came back the same time Hyuck did and they moved into an apartment near by. Taeyong was cut off, but Ten had a lot of money. Taeyong got a job as a lab assistant and decided to go back to school for biochemical engineering. Ten still had a year left of school, but he also worked as a dance instructor. Mark and Hyuck would visit them for a biweekly date night. Mark liked how happy Taeyong seemed. There was something different about him, like he was finally doing things because he wanted to.<br/>
Mark and Hyuck's birthdays passed with small parties and good food. Soon Hyuck, Jeno and Jaemin were moving in. Along with Renjun, Yukhei's cousin.<br/>
They decided the roommates. Jaehyun was with Jungwoo. Doyoung was with Yuta. Taeil was with Johnny, Kun with Si-Cheng, Hendery with Yukhei, Yangyang was with Jaemin . Xaiojun was with Hyuck and Jeno. Mark was with Renjun.</p><p>Mark helped Hyuck move in and set up things in his room. Hyuck decided to have a loft bed so he could put his desk underneath it. Jeno had his bed against the wall with a window and Xaiojun had his against the other wall and was already moved in. Mark sat on Hyuck's desk chair as Hyuck unpacked clothes into his drawers.<br/>
"Renjun said he doesn't mind if sometimes he has to sleep in your room." Mark said.<br/>
"Why would he have to do that?" Hyuck teased.<br/>
"Do you want him to be in the room while we have sex?" Mark asked bluntly. Hyuck threw a shirt at Mark and it landed on his face. Mark chuckled and took the shirt off his face and threw it back at Hyuck.<br/>
"I think if we did it in my bed, you'd fall off." Hyuck giggled slightly at the thought of it.<br/>
"Probably." Mark smiled at him. Hyuck continued putting his clothes away.<br/>
"What time is your first class next week?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Uhh, 9:30 I think. What about you?"<br/>
"8:30. That was the only time slot left for my intro to music theory." Hyuck shut his drawer, putting the last shirt in.<br/>
"Are you free for lunch on Monday?"<br/>
"Yeah, I'll send you my schedule." Hyuck took out his phone and sent him a picture of his schedule. Mark sent back a picture of his schedule.<br/>
"Hey, we both can do lunch on Monday Wednesday Friday." Hyuck said with a smile.<br/>
"It's a date." Mark said. </p><p>Soon classes started and things started getting busy again. Some nights Hyuck would sleep with Mark in his bed. They had lunch together every Monday and Friday, but Mark had to study on Wednesdays.<br/>
Hyuck was getting used to living in the house. Sometimes he would do homework downstairs so he could be around other people. Some nights they all cooked dinner together. Sometimes Kun would bring home bread from his job and they would make late night French toast.<br/>
Some weekends Hyuck would go visit his aunt and grandmother. They always fed him and gave him kimchi to bring back. Hyuck felt at peace with where he was. His mental health was also improving and he was ready to start college. Honestly, he could get through anything with Mark.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Road Trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soon it was Mark and Hyuck's two year anniversary. They didn't care to do anything special, they just wanted to be together so after Hyuck's last class he came home and went to Mark's room. Renjun said he'd sleep in Hyuck's room so they could have it all night. <br/>Mark was sitting on his bed with his glasses on, reading some poetry book. <br/>"Hey, babe." Hyuck said as he walked in. Mark looked up at him and smiled. <br/>"Hi." He closed his book and put it on his desk. "How was class?" Hyuck sat down next to him. <br/>"Fine. Music theory kicked my butt. But singing was fun." Mark held his hand. <br/>"I got something for you." <br/>"Babe, you didn't have to." Hyuck said softly, but his eyes sparkled.<br/>"I wanted to." Mark got up and pulled something out of his drawer. It was in a medium sized box with blue satin ribbon tied around it. He handed it to Hyuck. "Open it." <br/>Hyuck opened it and inside was a vocal chord steamer. Hyuck smiled at him.<br/>"I've been talking about this one."<br/>"I know. Thought you should take care of your beautiful voice." Mark smiled at him. Hyuck placed a soft kiss on his lips.<br/>"Thank you." He put the box down on the floor. <br/>"I uh, got something for you, but it's- I don't know if you'll like it.." He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. He handed it to Mark.<br/>"I'm sure I'll like it." Mark opened the box to find a necklace with two interlocking silver rings on it. Mark smiled. <br/>"I have a matching one… but is it too weird?" <br/>"No. It's perfect. I love it." He kissed Hyuck softly. "Put it on me?" Mark turned around and gave the necklace to him. Hyuck put it on him, his hand touching the nape of his neck. Mark shivered slightly at the touch. Hyuck kissed Mark's neck once then stood up straight. Mark turned around.<br/>"It looks great on you." Hyuck said with a smile. <br/>"Thanks, babe."  Mark set the box on his nightstand. “So, what do you want to do?”<br/>“Hmmm, we could order Chinese delivery and watch a movie?” Hyuck suggested.<br/>“Okay. What do you want?” They ordered delivery and then put blankets and pillows on the floor and made a little bed type thing.. They used Doyoung’s projector to project the movie, it was lala land, Hyuck’s favorite. Soon they heard a knock, it was Kun.<br/>“Your food came. And I got this for you and made this.” Kun handed him the food bag and a container of chocolate covered strawberries along with a bottle of wine and two glasses.<br/>“Thanks!” Mark brought everything in and closed the door. Hyuck sat up.<br/>“What’s that?” He pointed towards the container.<br/>“Kun made us chocolate covered strawberries and got us wine.” Mark put everything on the floor.<br/>“Awe, that’s so nice of him!” Hyuck squealed. They got out the food and started eating, Hyuck occasionally stealing pieces of Mark’s cashew chicken. Hyuck reached over to steal another piece and Mark stopped his chopsticks with his own. Hyuck looked at him.<br/>“Excuse me, Mr. thief.” Mark said.<br/>“Come on, you can have some of my lo mien.”<br/>“No, I don’t want your lo mien.”<br/>“Then what do you want?” Hyuck asked. Mark smirked at him, Hyuck rolled his eyes, knowing the answer. Hyuck leaned in for a kiss, drawing Mark closer, then he stole a piece of chicken and ate it. Mark huffed.<br/>“Tease.”<br/>“Fine.” Hyuck swallowed the chicken then leaned in and kissed Mark. The kiss was gentle and loving and lasted 15 seconds. Mark smiled at him. They finished eating and then moved on to the strawberries, sipping wine occasionally. Hyuck sang along to all of the songs and Mark watched him contently. <br/>The movie was nearing the end and they were snuggling on top of the blankets and pillows. Mark was playing with Hyuck’s hair. The room was lit by twinkle lights that Renjun had put up and the screen being projected on the wall. <br/>When the movie was over, they turned to each other. They looked into each others eyes like that was the most interesting thing to do.<br/>“I love you so much.” Mark said softly. Hyuck smiled brightly at him.<br/>“I love you a ton too. Happy two years.”<br/>“Happy two years.” Mark replied. Hyuck’s eyes drifted to Mark’s lips, soft, pink and moist. Hyuck kissed his lips gently, putting his hand on his cheek. Mark kissed back and put his arm around Hyuck’s waist. It felt different, they weren’t trying to satisfy a craving of wanting to be close, they were just trying to love each other. Every touch was full of gentleness and love. They wanted each other to know how much they loved each other. The whole night was full of softness and care.</p><p>Mark woke up to Hyuck moving the blanket. He wanted the warm skin to stay close to him. Hyuck got out of bed, Mark grabbed his arm. <br/>“Come back to bed.” Mark said sleepily.<br/>“I have to go to class… “ Hyuck said. Mark groaned. Hyuck kissed Mark’s forehead and pulled his hand off of him. Mark looked up at him, he was putting his clothes back on. <br/>“Skip class, lay in bed with me.”<br/>“I have to go to this class, I have a theory quiz on Monday.” Hyuck said as he buttoned his shirt up. Mark sighed. He wished he could stay in bed all day with Hyuck. Hyuck’s skin was glowing in the sunlight and he wanted to just stare at him all day. “We're still on for lunch?” <br/>“Yeah.” Mark replied. Hyuck kissed Mark on the head. Mark pulled him back down and kissed him on the lips, moving his lips across his. Mark cupped his face. Hyuck pulled apart.<br/>“I’m already late, babe.” Mark sighed. He let Hyuck go. “Love you.”<br/>“I love you too.” Mark said and then Hyuck left. <br/>Mark actually got the motivation to get out of bed at 9. He got dressed and cleaned up the room, then headed to his class.<br/>He sat through his class not really paying attention. He kept thinking about other things, he thought about his brother. He seemed happy to be working for a living and going back to school.<br/>After class he made his way to the courtyard that him and Hyuck usually met in. Hyuck was usually there early because his class got out earlier. He waited on a bench for 15 minutes. Then he called him. No answer. Mark got really worried at this point. He started walking to the music building, all while calling Hyuck again. He started walking faster. He called Hyuck one more time and after 3 rings there was an answer. He heard sobbing on the other end.<br/>“Hyuck? What’s wrong?” Mark asked, worried. He just heard more sobbing. “Tell me where you are, babe.” Hyuck tried to calm down.<br/>“I-I’m in the… practice r-room.” Mark ran into the music building.<br/>“I’m coming. Stay calm.” Mark asked someone passing where the practice room was. He hurried down the stairs. He opened the first practice room and a guy who was playing the piano stared at him.<br/>“Sorry.” Mark tried two more rooms and apologized to a flutist and a violinist. Then finally he threw the door open and saw Hyuck curled up on the floor, crying. Mark walked calmly over to him. He placed a hand on him and Hyuck shuttered at the touch. Mark took his hand back.<br/>“Hyuck? What happened?” Mark sat next to him. He held onto Hyuck, trying to calm him and stop him from digging his nails into his sides. Hyuck cried, and shook. He tried to dig his nails into his face, but Mark stopped him. “Babe. You need to calm down. I’m here.” Hyuck tried to escape his grip for a second then went limp. “I’m here, in the practice room with you. You’re here. I’m touching you, holding you.” Mark tried to bring him back to reality. Hyuck tried to regulate his breathing. Mark started rubbing Hyuck’s arms, he felt cold. Hyuck’s breathing slowed a bit. He stopped crying, at least his tears stopped.<br/>Hyuck started trying to sit up. Mark loosened his grip on him. Hyuck wiped tears from his face. He sniffled. Mark held his hand and noticed something wet. He turned Hyuck’s hand around and there were nail marks in the palm of his hand, blood was drawn on one of the marks. Mark frowned at it.<br/>“Hyuck, What happened?” Mark said quietly.<br/>“Can we just go… I-i don’t want to talk. I-i’m so… tired.” Hyuck said lethargically. Mark nodded. He picked up his and Hyuck’s bag. He held his hand gently and they left. They walked home in silence and when they got home Hyuck went to his bedroom. Mark went to the supply closet and got alcohol wipes, neosporin, and band-aids. He went up to Hyuck’s room and knocked. No answer. He went in and looked on his bed. Hyuck was laying under his covers, barely seen. Mark walked up the ladder to the bed. <br/>“Babe…”<br/>“What’s going on?” Xioajun asked from his bed. Mark didn’t notice him when he came in.<br/>“Uh, I’m sorry. Do you mind giving us a minute or two?”<br/>“No problem.” He picked up his book and left the room.<br/>“Babe, let me clean your hands.” Hyuck removed the blanket and sat up, his head still covered in the blanket. He moved over so Mark could sit on the bed. Mark sat on the bed and took his hands. He cleaned them up, Hyuck winced.<br/>“Sorry.” He put the neosporin on and band-aid on top of them. “Do you want to talk about it?” Mark asked.<br/>“Uh…” his eyes started watering. “I feel stupid… I feel stupid for reacting that way…” Mark hugged him.<br/>“You’re not stupid. You are not stupid for feeling a certain way.” Mark rubbed his back.<br/>“I,uh, saw…” Hyuck started. Mark pulled out of the hug but held his hands and looked at him. “I saw… the girl who rapped me… and she… smiled at me.” Mark hugged him. He wanted to cry himself. It made sense why Hyuck had a panic attack. Hyuck started crying again.<br/>“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I wish I could fix everything.”<br/>“She… acted like it was nothing. Like she didn’t cause my PTSD. Like-like I was just nothing… like I wasn’t crying or saying no…” Hyuck sobbed. A few tears left Mark’s eyes. Hyuck’s voice was breaking, he was so hurt, it made Mark so mad and sad. He held Hyuck as he cried. <br/>Hyuck cried himself to sleep in Mark’s arms. Mark stayed with him. His thoughts swirled about how he could help Hyuck. He eventually drifted off to sleep.<br/> He woke up to Hyuck whimpering. He took Hyuck’s hands that were digging into his palms again. He held them open, Hyuck dug his nails into Mark’s hands. Mark winced but didn’t let go. <br/>“Hyuck, wake up.” Mark said. He shook his shoulder. Hyuck whined louder. “Hyuck. You need to wake up!” Hyuck started digging his nails deeper into Mark’s hands.<br/>“No... Stop…” Hyuck whispered. <br/>“Mark, what’s going on?” Jeno said, now paying attention to the two.<br/>“He’s having a nightmare.” Mark shook his hands within Hyuck's. "Hyuck, wake up. You're not in danger." <br/>"I'll get a damp cloth." Hyuck was pushing his nails further, Mark winced and let out a small noise. <br/>"Hyuck…" <br/>"Stop! It hurts! Stop." Hyuck said louder. Mark wished he could wake him up badly. Jeno came back with a wet cloth and put it on Hyuck's forehead. Hyuck's eyes jolted open and he sat up, sending Mark upwards because of their hands being connected. Mark let out a help of pain as his nails dug more into him from the sudden movement. Hyuck looked to Mark and un-clenched his hands. Mark sighed in relief. <br/>"W-what happened?" Hyuck said. <br/>"You had a nightmare. A really bad one." Jeno said. <br/>"Yeah… you were crying and… talking." Mark decided not to tell Hyuck that he had harmed Mark. He didn't mean to anyways.<br/>"Hmm… it was about that night…" Hyuck said quietly. Jeno and Mark looked at each other, knowing what he was talking about. "I'm sorry. You must've been worried." <br/>"It's okay. You can't really control it." Mark said, his hands throbbed. He wanted to look at how bad it was, but didn't want to show Hyuck.<br/>"Have you been having them often again?" Jeno asked.<br/>"No… I just… was reminded of it. I'm okay, really." Jeno gave him a side eye. <br/>"Okay…" Mark got down from the bunk bed. Hyuck looked at him. <br/>"You haven't eaten today. I'll go make you food." <br/>"No, I'll go with you." Hyuck got down as well and they walked out. <br/>"I'll meet you downstairs, I have to go to the bathroom." Mark said. Hyuck nodded and went downstairs. Mark grabbed the medical supplies and went into the bathroom. He looked down at his hands. The back of them had crescent marks in them and three of the marks on each hand were bleeding. He cleaned them up and put ointment on them, then he wrapped them up. He went downstairs and Hyuck was already boiling water. <br/>"What're you making?" Mark asked. <br/>"Uh, jajamyeon." Hyuck replied. "I'll make it for you. As a thank you." <br/>"You don't have to, I can help." <br/>"No, I got it. Sit down, relax." Hyuck smiled slightly at him. Mark sat down at the island counter. "Thank you for finding me and calming me down. And for waking me up." <br/>"I will always find you, baby." Hyuck smiled. It was already 3pm and they were having their first meal. Hyuck made the food and then they ate it greedily. They cleaned up then sat on the living room couch. Mark got his laptop and started emailing people in his classes to get notes on what he missed since he skipped all his other classes. Mark also started working on his paper, while Hyuck watched Friends on the TV. Hyuck fell asleep once again and Mark continued working. Jeno came downstairs. He motioned for Mark to follow him. They walked into the kitchen.<br/>"What happened?" Jeno asked seriously.<br/>"What do you mean?" <br/>"You know the something that reminded him of the rape. What was it?" Jeno crossed his arms. Mark knew he wasn't going to take a bullshit answer. Mark sighed.<br/>"He saw her. The girl that raped him." He saw Jeno's eye twitch slightly. "He had a panic attack, I found him and helped him calm down. Then we came home and he cried himself to sleep and then he had his nightmare." Mark said. Jeno was like Hyuck's brother, he deserved to know what's going on.<br/>"Did he dig his nails into his palms?" Jeno asked.<br/>"Uh, yeah. I tried to stop him when he had the nightmare, I got wounded a little." Mark showed him his bandaged hands. Jeno sighed.<br/>"This isn't good. He usually does that when he's in a lot of emotional pain, like a weird release. Kind of like self harm." Mark wanted to cry. Hyuck was hurting so bad and he couldn't do anything.<br/>"What do we do?" Jeno looked at him.<br/>"Make sure he makes it to his therapy. Be there for him when he needs it, and try to make him have fun." Jeno said. "That's all we can do. He'll get better soon." Jeno patted Mark on the back, Mark nodded.<br/>Mark returned to his seat, next to a sleeping Hyuck. Mark didn't know how to help Hyuck, he wanted to make him feel better, feel safe. He sighed and continued working on his essay. <br/>Soon it was 7pm when Hyuck woke from his sleep to find 4 of his roommates sitting in the living room with him and Mark and they were watching a movie. Hyuck sat up. Mark turned towards him. <br/>"Hi, how're you feeling?" Hyuck just shrugged and scooted closer to Mark. Mark put his arm around him. "Do you want to go somewhere with me tomorrow?" Mark whispered in his ear. Hyuck smiled softly and nodded his head. <br/>Jeno gave Hyuck a look, to make sure he was okay. Jaemin saw the worry on his face and squeezed Jeno’s hand. <br/>Taeil and Doyoung sat on the other couch, trying not to get too close to each other. They watched the rest of the movie together, making jokes along the way.</p><p>The next day Hyuck woke up to Mark packing a duffel bag. Hyuck looked over to see if Renjun was in the room. His bed was empty, neatly made as always. <br/>“What are you doing?” Hyuck said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.<br/>“Packing. We’re going on a trip.” Mark threw one last thing in his bag. “You can put your stuff in here too. We’ll leave in an hour.”<br/>“Wait, where are we going?” Hyuck asked, getting out of bed. He put his fuzzy blue slippers on. It was too early for this.<br/>“It’s a surprise. I just wanted to get away with you for a little bit.” Mark wrapped his arms around Hyuck and kissed him softly.<br/>“Okay.” Hyuck said softly. He ran to his room to get dressed and get his things. <br/>Jeno passed Hyuck in the hallway, he made it to Mark’s room and slowly opened the door. Mark looked at him when Jeno entered.<br/>“Where are you taking Hyuck?” Jeno asked, softness in his voice.<br/>“Uh, I’m not sure. We are just going to drive for a while.” Mark said, putting his coat on. Jeno nodded.<br/>“Trying to distract him?” Mark looked at him. Jeno looked worried, his usually eye smile was replaced with eyebags.<br/>“Kinda. I just want him to have fun.” Mark put his hand on Jeno’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, this will be good for him. I’ll take care of whatever comes up.”<br/>“It will be good for him.” Jeno gave Mark a goodbye and left his room.</p><p>Mark and Hyuck were on the road now. Not quite knowing where they were going. Mark took the country highways, where they could see the colorful trees passing by. The leaves were turning red and orange, the air was crisp and Hyuck was happy, one hand on Mark’s thigh and his head out of the window. <br/>“Where do you want to go, baby?” Mark asked.<br/>“Hmmm, I don't care. Anywhere with you.” Hyuck gave him a smile. Mark smiled slightly. They came upon a sign that said apple picking. <br/>"Do you want to go apple picking?" Mark asked.<br/>"What's that?" Hyuck asked. Mark turned at the exit.<br/>"What? You have to see this. We get to pick apples and there is a corn maize and sometimes a little farmers market." <br/>"Sounds cool!" Hyuck said. <br/>They parked and got out. The weather was breezy, but sunny. There were many people of all ages walking around. They went to the orchard and started picking apples.<br/>“Close your eyes.”Mark said. Hyuck closed his eyes. “Open your mouth.” Mark put a piece of apple in his mouth. Hyuck ate it and smiled. He opened his eyes.<br/>“It’s so good. Like better than any apple I’ve ever had.”<br/>“Yeah there is something about eating an apple straight off the tree.”Mark smiled.<br/>“Close your eyes.” Hyuck said, Mark closed his eyes and Hyuck shoved a whole apple in his mouth. Mark opened his eyes and tried to chomp down on it, but it was too big, he pulled it out of his mouth. Hyuck started laughing. He almost doubled over laughing. Mark tried to scold him, but he couldn’t help smiling too. <br/>“Ah, your face was so funny!” Hyuck said, wiping a tear from his face. Mark rolled his eyes at him. He took a bite of the apple that was in his mouth. Mark loved honey crisp apples. It was the perfect amount of sweet and crunch. Hyuck kissed him on the cheek. “You look so cute when you like something.”<br/>“I like you.” Mark said, looking at Hyuck. Hyuck got close to him.<br/>“You always look cute.” He whispered. Mark smiled and kissed him softly. They walked  down the rows of trees. Mark snuck a picture of him as he was enjoying the sun-rays. They walked to the Market and made fun of all the products. They got dirty looks from laughing too loud. They walked out and bought some hot apple cider and doughnuts,along with hot dogs. <br/>They sat at the picnic table watching the sunset and watched some kids run around playing on the play place. <br/>“We better find somewhere to stay.” Mark said as he threw away their trash. Hyuck looked up hotels or places to stay. They got in the car and made their way to a bed and breakfast nearby. <br/>The building was a cute townhouse in a small town. They rang the bell at the front and an old lady came through the door.<br/>“Welcome. How may I help you?” She spoke with a slight country accent. <br/>“Do you have any rooms available?” Mark asked.<br/>“Yes, I only have one.” She looked at both of them.<br/>“We only need one.” Mark said.<br/>“Oh, I see. Y'all are cute!” she opened a book. “The flower suite is your room. One night?”<br/>“Yes, Thank you.” They paid and she led them to their room. The walls had floral wallpaper, the lights looked antique and the bedspread looked like an old lady quilt. <br/>“Breakfast is served at 10am. Check out is at 11. If you have any requests please let us know!” She left and Hyuck laid on the bed.<br/>“I feel like I’m in my grandma’s room.” Mark said as he put down their duffel bag. <br/>“Me too.” Hyuck sat up and smiled at him. “Mark.”<br/>“Hmm?” Mark turned towards him. Hyuck motioned for him to come closer. Hyuck held his hands.<br/>“Thank you.”<br/>“For what, babe?”<br/>“For bringing me here, for having fun with me, for being there for me.” Mark smiled.<br/>“Anytime, baby.” Hyuck kissed him, placing a hand on his jaw. Mark kissed back. Hyuck pulled him closer, Mark pushed him down on the bed. Hyuck smiled against his lips. <br/>“Gosh, I love you so much.” Hyuck whispered. Mark kissed him more passionately, unbuttoning Hyuck’s shirt. Mark showed he loved him.</p><p>“I can’t believe we just fucked in this grandma room.” Hyuck said with a giggle. Mark smiled slightly and snuggled closer to him. <br/>“When you're horny, you’re horny.” Mark stated. Hyuck smiled at him. Their sex was a lot more than sex, it was love. “Want to explore the town tomorrow?” <br/>“Sure.” Mark closed his eyes.<br/>“Thank you for loving me and caring for me. I really appreciate it, babe.”<br/>“I’m always here for you. You do the same for me.” Mark said sleepily. Hyuck kissed him on the cheek. Mark fell asleep soon after.</p><p>Mark woke up to the sunlight streaming through the window. He opened his eyes and looked at a sleeping Hyuck. He kissed him on the cheek and Hyuck smiled slightly. His eyes fluttered open. <br/>“Morning.” Mark said in his deep morning voice.<br/>“Morning.” Hyuck said, rolling over on top of Mark. Mark smiled up at him. <br/>“I love your morning voice.” Hyuck whispered. He kissed Mark’s neck. Mark smiled and then kissed Hyuck.</p><p>“What time is it?” Hyuck asked, laying next to Mark, trying to calm his breathing. Mark checked his phone. <br/>“Uh,9:40.” Hyuck got up to shower. He went to the bathroom and started the shower. Mark got up and made his way to the bathroom as well. He got in the shower with him.<br/>“Hey, babe.” Hyuck said quietly. They showered then got dressed and cleaned up the room. They made it downstairs and the woman greeted them. <br/>"Good morning!" She said cheerily. They sat down at a big dining table. A couple other guests were there and they chatted. The breakfast was really good. Then they said their goodbyes and left. Mark put their stuff in his car and then they walked around the town.<br/>All the buildings looked old, with bricks that were chipping. The shops were all family owned and they all had weird names. After a couple hours of wandering around, they stopped at a local dinner to eat. </p><p>After they ate, they were on the road again, listening to music.<br/>"Did you have fun?" Mark asked.<br/>"Yeah. I had a lot of fun." Hyuck smiled, squeezing Mark's thigh slightly. <br/>"Good." Mark smiled and glanced at Hyuck for a second. <br/>The sun was setting and the sky was painted a deep blue with hues of pink. <br/>"Do you think we'll be together for a long time?" Hyuck suddenly asked. Mark glanced at him.<br/>"Yeah… why do you ask?"<br/>"I was just wondering because I… I don't ever want to be without you." Hyuck said quietly. Mark smiled.<br/>"You won't have to be, baby." Mark said as he placed his hand over Hyuck’s for a second, then put it back on the steering wheel. Hyuck leaned back in his chair. He was so happy. He was happy that he had a loving boyfriend, that he helped him when he was having trouble and that he was loved.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>What do you think of this chapter? I thought it was cute. Anyways, Thanks for the kudos and comments! I appreciate them!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. New Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They settled back into normal life. Mark made sure Hyuck was taking his meds and going to therapy. His panic attacks became less consistent and he started having fun and letting loose. Mark got busy with homework, but still made time for Hyuck. <br/>Thanksgiving break passed in a blur. Mark went to Hyuck’s house and Hyuck came to his, but they had to pretend not to be dating because his dad was home. They also went to Ten and Taeyong’s for a thanksgiving. <br/>The winter came quickly and soon they were done with finals. They had a party after finals then Hyuck flew to Korea for two weeks. Mark busied himself with helping out as his father’s business. He also spent a lot of time at Ten and Taeyong’s place. Ten proposed to Taeyong and Taeyong said yes. <br/>Taeyong asked Mark to be his best man and Mark nearly cried. Life was moving fast, it seemed like everything was going well. When Hyuck came back it was new years eve.<br/>They walked to Ten and Taeyong’s place from their house. They were having a party. They arrived and Ten greeted them. Ten hugged Hyuck.<br/>“Glad you’re back!” Ten said as he let them in. They entered and took of their shoes and coats. Yang yang greeted them. <br/>“Hey!” Taeyong said as he ran to hug Hyuck.<br/>“Congratulations.” Hyuck said smiling. “I can’t believe you’re going to marry Ten.” <br/>“Thanks! Yeah, me either. It’s going to be great.” Taeyong looked really happy. Way happier than before. They moved throughout the room, greeting all their friends. <br/>Soon it was midnight and they all counted down. Mark and Hyuck kissed, tasting the champagne on each others lips. Around 2am they said goodbye and started walking home, everyone living in their house had already gone home. It started softly snowing.<br/>Hyuck kissed Mark on the cheek. Mark smiled and held onto his hand tighter, trying to warm Hyuck's hand up.<br/>“The snow is so pretty.” Hyuck said, looking at the street lights reflected on the snow. Mark nodded. Hyuck leaned on his arm. Mark kissed his cold cheek. <br/>“YA!” a voice behind them said. They turned around to see three men walking towards them. Hyuck recognized one from Seoul. “Lee Donghyuck. I thought you were straight.” The man said.<br/>“Hello, Byun-Yeh.” Hyuck said. The men were obviously drunk. Mark stood closer to Hyuck.<br/>“So you just fucked Jin-Hye to play with her?” The men behind him laughed. Hyuck squeezed Mark’s hand. <br/>“Why don’t you just leave us alone.” Mark said firmly. He glared at them. <br/>“Ha, shut up, fag. You’re not a part of this, little Donghyuck has some explaining to do.” Mark looked at Hyuck and he was frozen in fear. Mark just turned around and led Hyuck with him. <br/>“Hey, come back here, queens!” He yelled after them. They ignored them and kept walking, speeding up a little. They heard them running after them and then suddenly Hyuck was pulled back. Mark forcibly let go of Hyuck’s hand. He turned around and the guy held Hyuck by his shoulders. He was at least 6 inches taller than Hyuck. <br/>“Let go of him!” Mark said. Hyuck looked scared.<br/>“Don’t worry we won’t do anything to your boyfriend. “ The guy said with a sneer in his voice. He traced his fingers across his jawline. “So, you messed around with Jin-Hye then went to dicks, huh?” He squeezed Hyuck’s butt. Hyuck stepped on his foot and he released him. Hyuck ran to Mark, but one of the other dudes grabbed Hyuck. <br/>Mark rushed over to him and elbowed the guy in the gut so he let go of Hyuck. <br/>“Get the other one!” Byun-Yeh shouted. Mark saw Byun-Yeh throw a punch at him, but he dodged. He heard Hyuck screaming to be let go and turned around to see them holding him back. Mark started to move towards him when a numbing blow hit him in the head. Mark could feel his jaw getting bruised. He stumbled and tried to stay standing.<br/>He rebalanced himself and threw a punch at Byun-Yeh. He tried to dodge and it only hit the tip of his jaw. <br/>“Stop! Leave him alone!” Hyuck yelled, struggling to get free.<br/>“Fucker.” Byun-Yeh said as he swung and Mark again. Mark dodged the punch and kicked the dude in the ribs. He stumbled back. Mark ran towards Hyuck as he was busy recovering. Byun-Yeh pulled him by his hood and Mark fell flat on his back with a thud. His vision went dark for a second. <br/>Hyuck started crying. He bit one of the guys hands and he released him, he tried to run away but the other dude had a grip on him. The dude he bit punched Hyuck in the stomach, he curled in on himself in pain. <br/>Mark tried to get up, but his head was spinning. He sat up. Byun-Yeh kicked Mark in the gut and he clutched his stomach. <br/>“S-stop! You’re hurting him. Stop!” Hyuck sobbed out. <br/>He tried to kick Mark again and Mark stopped his leg from hitting him and twisted it, causing him to yell out in pain. Mark then tried to stand up, he winced. He ignored the pain and socked him in the jaw. Byun-Yeh stumbled back. One of the Guys holding Hyuck let go and the other put Hyuck in a headlock. The guy went up behind Mark and punched him in the head, Mark saw spots again and stumbled to the ground. Byun-Yeh kicked him in the stomach again and Mark curled up to protect his vital organs. They kicked him a few more times then stopped.<br/>“Serves you right, fags.” He spit on Hyuck and then the guy let him go and they walked away. Mark tried to get up, but he was in a lot of pain. Hyuck scrambled to Mark, still crying. Mark had a bloody lip, bruised cheek and looked like he was about to pass out.<br/>“Mark! Mark, babe. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.” Hyuck sobbed, caressing his cheek. <br/>“I-i’m okay…a-are you?” Mark’s eyes fluttered. <br/>“I’m okay.” Hyuck shakily got his phone out and called 911.“Yes, me and my b-boyfriend got beat up. He’s badly hurt.” Hyuck sobbed out, holding Mark’s hand. “Uh, corner of gibbs and Dayton… h-he’s still conscious, but his eyes are fluttering…” Hyuck ended the call. “They’re coming. They’re coming to help you.” Hyuck said quietly. Mark weakly squeezed his hand.<br/>“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help… It’s my fault…”Hyuck choked out.<br/>“N-no. It’s not your fault.” Mark’s eyelids got really heavy. He just wanted to sleep, he wanted to sleep so bad.<br/>“Babe, you… you need to stay awake.” Mark mumbled something. “What? Open your eyes, babe.”<br/>“I’m tired…”  He mumbled. <br/>“I know, but you need to stay awake.” Hyuck squeezed his hand. They heard sirens coming. “They’re almost here, babe.” Mark made a small noise then closed his eyes. <br/>The ambulance pulled up besides them and 3 paramedics jumped out. Two tended to Mark. One turned towards him. <br/>“What happened?”<br/>“They beat him up, kicked him…” The paramedic looked his face over and treated the cut on his cheek. They carried Mark into the ambulance. “Let me come. Let me come with him.” The paramedic let him in the back with Mark. One of the paramedics stuck a needle into Mark. Hyuck held his hand and cried. They gave Mark a oxygen mask. Hyuck sobbed into his hand. His chest hurt, he wanted this to be a dream.<br/>When the ambulance got there they took Mark out and rushed him to the ER. Hyuck was checked for a concussion and then sent to the waiting room. Hyuck paced, he realized he should call someone so he called Taeyong.<br/>“Hmm? Hyuck? It’s 3am. What’s up?” Taeyong said sleepily.<br/>“H-hyung, Mark… Mark’s in the hospital.” <br/>“What?” Taeyong said, suddenly alert. <br/>“We- we… got beat up. We got beat up… and Mark is in surgery…” Hyuck cried.<br/>“O-okay. I’m on my way. Calm down Hyuck. I’m coming.” Taeyong said. He hung up and in about 15 minutes he was there with Ten. Taeyong hugged Hyuck and Hyuck crumpled, Taeyong moved to a bench and held Hyuck as he sobbed. Taeyong started crying as well. Then Jaemin and Jeno came rushing in.<br/>“Hyuck!” Jeno said and Taeyong released him. Jeno ran to him and hugged him. <br/>“Jen- Jen… It’s my fault… It’s-” Hyuck cried. Jeno patted him on the back.<br/>“No, Hyuck, it’s not your fault.” Hyuck stopped crying and just hugged him. <br/>“Excuse me? Are you here for Mark Lee?” A doctor said, stepping in the room. <br/>“Yes, we are.” TAeyong said, Ten put an arm around him. <br/>“Uh, the surgery went well and he is stable. He will probably be asleep for a while. He has a concussion and a broken rib. Luckily he didn’t have too much internal bleeding. You can see him, but please he needs his sleep.” He said and then walked them to his room. <br/>Hyuck stood outside as they walked in, he couldn’t bear to see Mark like that. Jeno stood outside with him. <br/>“It’s okay, take your time.” Jeno said. Hyuck made his way into the room slowly. Mark was laying on the bed, with an oxygen canal in his nose, he had a bandage on his face and he also was wearing a hospital gown. He looked pale and had a cut on his lip. Hyuck held onto Jeno’s arm tightly. <br/>“He probably won’t wake up for a while. You can go home, Hyuck and Jeno.” Taeyong said. Hyuck wanted to stay but he knew Mark would be okay. There was a knock on the door and they all looked. It was a police officer. They opened the door.<br/>“Donghyuck Lee?” the officer asked. Hyuck and Jeno stepped out of the room. <br/>“I am Donghyuck Lee.” Hyuck said.<br/>“Can we get a statement?” Hyuck nodded. “I need to talk to him alone.” Hyuck and the police officer go to the waiting area and he told him everything, he tried to fight back the tears. When Hyuck was done the officer said thanks and that he would be in contact. <br/>“Can we go?” Hyuck said quietly. Jeno nodded and they left. Hyuck cried the entire way home, Jeno let him let it out. It didn’t seem like he wanted to talk. When they got home Kun and Johnny hugged him and made them hot chocolate. They all slept in the living room together, Jeno snuggling Hyuck. </p><p>When Hyuck woke up he demanded to go to the hospital. Jeno made him eat and shower before, but then they headed to the hospital. When Hyuck made it to Mark’s room his aunts were there. They were fussing over him and trying to make him eat. <br/>“Aunties, I’m okay. I’m not hungry.” Hyuck walked in and Mark’s eyes lit up. “Hyuckie.”<br/>“Hi, Mark.” His aunts stood up and hugged Hyuck whispering I’m sorry to him. <br/>“We’ll give you some time alone.” They walked out and Hyuck sat next to the chair next to Mark’s bed. Mark held his hand. <br/>“How are you?” Hyuck asked.<br/>“I’m okay. How are you, babe?” Hyuck kissed his hand.<br/>“I’m fine… I’m sorry…” Hyuck said quietly.<br/>“What for?”<br/>“It’s my fault… I knew him. I really could have done something, but I froze… I froze,” Hyuck said.<br/>“Baby, it is not your fault. You didn’t know what was going to happen.” Mark said, he tried to turn to look at Hyuck and winced as a sharp pain rippled through his abdomen. Hyuck looked at him with concern. “I’m okay.”<br/>	“I love you,” Hyuck said, not wanting to argue.<br/>	“I love you too,” Mark said. They talked about stupid things and laughed at stories about roommates and more. Soon Jeno came in.<br/>	“Jeno!” Mark said as the man walked in the room.<br/>	“Hi, Mark. How are you feeling?”<br/>	“I’m okay. Healing up fine. They said I should be able to be out in a day.”<br/>	“That’s good.” Eventually Hyuck and Jeno left and Taeyong and Ten visited. <br/>Soon Mark was released, but his aunts insisted he stay at their house until he can move around a lot. So Mark spent two weeks at his aunts, Hyuck slept over often and drove 30 minutes to school in the morning. Luckily he didn’t have early classes. Their friends visited often. Mark had to take a semester off of in person classes. Instead he took 2 online classes. <br/>Mark didn’t go out at night, he didn’t feel safe and Hyuck did the same because Mark would freak out if he did. Soon Mark moved back into the big house, he was babied by the older people in the house. Xiaojun moved into the room with Jeno and Renjun so Hyuck could move into Mark’s room and help him. They put their beds together so they could sleep together at night. </p><p>One night Mark and Hyuck were snuggling after watching a movie one night. Mark was slowly falling asleep.<br/>“Babe?” Hyuck said, snuggling closer to him.<br/>“Hmm?”<br/>“Do you think there is something wrong with us?” Mark opened his eyes.<br/>“What?” Mark asked.<br/>“Like do you think it’s wrong for us to date? To be in love?”<br/>“No, why would you think that?” <br/>“Because…that’s why he beat us up… that’s why…”<br/>“Baby, there is nothing wrong with us.” Mark put his hands on Hyuck’s face. “That is their problem.” Hyuck nodded. “There is nothing wrong with you.”<br/>He embraced Hyuck and Hyuck let out a cry. He tried to calm him down. He let him cry until he stopped, then he wiped his tears away.<br/>“When do you think you’ll be able to go outside at night?” Hyuck asked quietly. Mark bit his lip and thought. <br/>“I-I don’t know. I think soon…” Hyuck held his hand. <br/>“It’s okay. I was just wondering. I hate that you still think about it.” Hyuck said. Mark nodded and snuggled up to him again. They fell asleep within seconds.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The wedding</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soon Mark and Hyuck went back to normal life, Hyuck went to Korea for the summer like usual and Mark interned at his father’s business. Doyoung graduated and got an apartment with Johnny and Taeil. Mark also helped Taeyong get ready for his wedding, they were going to marry on September 15th. Mark’s father was invited to the wedding but didn’t reply.<br/>
They were going to have it in their backyard of the college house. The backyard was covered in daisies and roses. There was an archway right by the pond with coy fish in it. Johnny was officiating. He got his ministerial license online. Mark was helping Taeyong get ready in Mark’s bedroom.<br/>
“You ready?” Mark said, fixing Taeyong’s tie.<br/>
“I think.” Taeyong said nervously. He had on a suit with a deep red tie and a rose in his lapel. Jaehyun and Doyoung walked in.<br/>
"Ready, Yong?" Jaehyun asked, he clapped his hands together.<br/>
"Yeah. I'm ready." Taeyong stood up and smiled slightly. They walked outside.<br/>
There were their family and friends sitting in the chairs. They entered and walked from the side the the front. Taeyong stood facing everyone. Mark, Jaehyun and Doyoung stood next to him.<br/>
"You look sharp Tae." Johnny whispered from behind him. He stood there in a suit with a Bible. Taeyong smiled at him.<br/>
Soon the music started and first to walk down was Kun, then Yangyang, and then Yuta.<br/>
Then Ten came down, dressed in an elegant suit with designs on it. His father was hand and hand with him.<br/>
Taeyong almost cried. He was so happy he got to marry the love of his life.<br/>
Once Ten's father gave him away Taeyong held Ten's hands. He gazed into his eyes and smiled.<br/>
"Welcome everyone. We are gathered today to celebrate the marriage of Taeyong Lee and Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, or his easier name, Ten." Some people chuckled. Ten and Taeyong smiled. "Now I was honored to be asked to officiate this wedding, but I was surprised that they trusted me enough to do this. Like me of all people?" The crowd laughed. "Now I've lived with these two and been friends for years and I just have to say, good luck." Even Mark let out a chuckle. "But in all honesty, I think you guys are perfect for each other. Ten, you even out Taeyong’s habit of worrying and Taeyong you help Ten be introspective. I’m really happy for you guys.” Taeyong and Ten smiled at Johnny. “You guys have prepared your own vows, we’ll start with Taeyong.” Taeyong cleared his throat.<br/>
“I saw you first in a dance show. You were so elegant and beautiful. Then you started talking to me and I couldn’t believe someone like you wanted to be my friend.” Ten ran his thumb over Taeyong’s knuckles. “You stuck with me even though I wasn’t sure what I wanted. You helped me discover who I am. I promise to always be there for you, I promise to love you even when you’re confused. I promise to always cherish you, even when we fight. Most importantly I promise to always be your best friend.” Taeyong looked into Ten’s eyes and he was tearing up. Johnny motioned for Ten to go.<br/>
“Damn, how can I follow that?” Ten said. Everyone laughed. Ten took a deep breath to compose himself. “Taeyong, from the moment I met you I knew we would be in each other's lives forever. I didn’t expect it to be romantic, but that was a sweet surprise.” He paused to look at Taeyong in the eyes. Taeyong smiled at him. “You helped me become a more caring person and someone who people would go to for help. We truly sharpen each other. I promise to keep sharpening you. I promise to love you fully without regret. I promise to always stay up late and talk through things with you. I promise to always be there for you. And I promise to be your forever partner.” Taeyong squeezed his hand, tears in his eyes.<br/>
“Wow, that was sweet.” Johnny said as he continued. “Now, for the exchange of rings.” Mark handed Taeyong one and Kun handed Ten one. They slipped the rings on each other’s fingers. “By the power invested in me by Northern Maine Ministry.com, I now pronounce you husbands.” Johnny said. Ten and Taeyong kissed as everyone clapped.  Then they walked down the aisle together and the wedding party followed. Kun linked arms with Mark, Yangyang linked with Jaehyun and Yuta linked arms with Doyoung.<br/>
Once they were all down the aisle they started chatting. Then they went to take pictures. The photographers took pictures of the wedding party and the grooms with their best men. Then they drive to the banquet hall. Once they were done then they were announced in the dining room and they all entered and sat at the head table. They got served food and they all ate greedily because they hadn’t eaten since the morning and it was already 5:30. The food was amazing, it was somewhat french food. All Mark knew was that he was really hungry. After he ate he made his way to the open bar and got white wine. On his way back he stopped at a table with most of his friends. He kissed a specific brown haired boy, who then looked up at him with his brown eyes. He smiled.<br/>
“Hey, babe.” Hyuck said pulling Mark to sit on his lap.<br/>
“Hi.”<br/>
“You look so hot by the way.” Hyuck said in a whisper. Mark smiled and blushed a little.<br/>
“Thanks…”<br/>
“Hey, Mark!” Yukhei said from across the table. “Are you making a speech?”<br/>
“Yeah, in a little bit.”<br/>
“Good luck!” Yukhei said. Jeno and Jaemin also wished him luck. The table consisted of Jeno, Jaemin, Jungwoo, Yukhei, Hyuck, and Jisung. The rest of their friends were sitting at a table next to them and then All of Mark’s family that came, which were his two aunts and his uncle, plus a couple of his older cousin’s from Korea, were sitting at a table next to Ten’s family. Ten’s entire family was there, all his aunts and uncles from Thailand. His mother and father were smiling the whole time. Mark said hi to everyone then went to his table.<br/>
“Mark-ah!” Ten said coming over to him.<br/>
“Yes, Hyung?” Mark said with a smile. Ten was now his brother in law, so technically Yukhei, Si-Cheng, Kun, and Xiaojun were his cousins in-law and Yangyang was his brother in-law.<br/>
“Come meet my mom and dad.” Ten dragged him to his family table. Mark stood there nervously. “Mom, dad, this is Mark, Taeyong’s younger brother.” His parents looked like him, they had similar eyes and he had the same nose as his mom.<br/>
“Hello, nice to meet you,” he bowed slightly. Ten’s mom hugged him and Mark was surprised, but he felt warm and loved in the hug.<br/>
“Ah, you’re family now, sweetie.” Mark smiled. His mother was so warm and inviting. His dad smiled warmly at him and shook his hand. “You can come to Thailand and visit anytime soon.”<br/>
“Yes, we have a big house there. Plenty of room.” His dad said with a smile.<br/>
“Thank you for the offer, sir.”<br/>
“Call me Pee Abnar.” Mark nodded. They talked for a bit but then it was time for the toasts.<br/>
Mark sat down at his seat then he stood up and clinked his glass with a butter knife. Everyone turned their heads towards him. Mark was pretty nervous for this speech. To some it would be his first impression.<br/>
"Hello everyone. I'm Mark, Taeyong's best man and best brother…. Well I'm his only brother." Some people laughed at that, Mark's nerves were eased a bit. "I knew Taeyong since I was born. He has shown me so much grace in life and love. " He looked to Taeyong, who had a smile on his face. "Our father was absent often so he was kind of like my father figure, I remember when I was a kid and I tripped over a toy and started crying. And do you know what Taeyong said to me?" He paused and looked out at the audience. Hyuck gave him a thumbs up. "He said 'That toy is going to pay' then he proceeded to beat up the toy. It made me forget about falling and laugh." There were a couple awes from the crowd. "Ten, I know for sure that he'll make you laugh when you're crying." He looked at Ten who smiled at him. "And I know he'll be a great listener, because he has listened to my stupid rants for 19 years." Mark looked to Taeyong. "I know you two will be happy and fight for your marriage. Love you both." He raised his glass, "let's cheers for the couple!" Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together. Mark looked at Taeyong and he put a hand over his heart and smiled at him.<br/>
"Next is Ten's best man Kun Quian." The DJ announced.  Kun stood up.<br/>
"Hello everyone. That was a really good speech Mark." Mark nodded at him. "Ten is my closest cousin and friend, and that's not just because we were forced to go on family trips together." A couple people laughed. "Ten and I hated each other for a couple years, we call those days the dark ages." There were a few snickers. "Honestly the only reason we fought was because Ten wanted to be older than me. But after we got over that, we were so close. We would talk about everything and anything together. When I was in China he would call me from Thailand just to ask about my day." Kun looked at Ten. "He has dug me out of many holes I've dug myself into, he's been a shoulder to cry on and a person who teased you about crying." Kun paused. "He knows what he wants and he won't let anything get in the way. That's how he got Taeyong." Kun looked to Taeyong who had his arm around Ten. "I know you will keep that energy up, so good luck Taeyong." There was a small chuckle. "And I truly wish you all the best. Let's raise our glasses to Mr. And Mr. Lee." Everyone raised their glasses and they cheered.<br/>
Then they all went back to talking, Taeyong came up to Mark and Mark stood up. Taeyong pulled him into an embrace and he appreciated the warm hug.<br/>
"Thank you." Taeyong spoke in his ear.<br/>
"For what?"<br/>
"For being there for me and being a good brother. I love you."<br/>
"I love you too. But I should be thanking you for practically raising me." Taeyong gave him another hug then got pulled into a conversation with someone else. Mark started talking to Yangyang about school work and how his junior year is going. </p><p>Soon they cut the cake and fed each other, not caring about smearing it on their faces. Then it was time for The dances.<br/>
"For the first time, welcome Mr. And Mr. Lee." The DJ said as apocalypse by cigarettes after sex started playing. They danced together, not one step off. They were so close and placed a few kisses on each other's lips.<br/>
Then Ten danced with his mother and it was a higher paced song, but they both danced well.<br/>
Taeyong wished his mother was there to dance with him. He decided early on that he would dance with his Aunt Ha-Sun. She dropped everything to live with them and help raise them.<br/>
Ha-Sun and him danced a dance that had twirls and spins in it, both of them laughing while dancing.<br/>
Then everyone was welcomed to the dance floor to dance. A few upbeat songs were played. Jeno and Jaemin went up to dance, along with Johnny, Jaehyun, Yukhei and Jungwoo.<br/>
Mark found himself staring into the distance. He was getting pretty drained from being around all these people for hours. He could handle a party, but he'd been around more than 30 people for 4 hours and he was getting drained. And his breathing became harder, probably from all the people in one room.<br/>
He snapped back as he felt warm hands on his shoulder. He looked to see who it was. He smiled, seeing Hyuck standing there.<br/>
"Hey. Did you want to dance?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Not really. Do you?" Hyuck sat down next to Mark.<br/>
"Not right now. You okay?" Hyuck held his hand.<br/>
"Mmhm… I'm just tired." Mark said, taking a sip of his water.<br/>
"Awe, I'm sorry. I can drive you home if you want to leave early." Mark nodded. Hyuck put his arm around Mark. Mark leaned into him.<br/>
"Babe?"<br/>
"Hmm?" Hyuck hummed.<br/>
"Do you want to get married some day?" Hyuck looked at Mark, shocked.<br/>
"Uhh, yeah. I mean maybe. It depends." Hyuck said nervously. Mark chuckled.<br/>
"I was just wondering." Mark gave him a small kiss. Hyuck seemed to calm down.<br/>
"Do you?"<br/>
"I wouldn't mind getting married, but it's not a must. As long as it's a committed relationship."<br/>
"By the way, what do you want to do for our anniversary?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Hmm, I don't care. Do you want to go anywhere specific?"<br/>
" Not really. As long as I am with you, I don't care." Mark smiled. It had been almost a year since he saw the person who rapped him. He hadn't seen her again.<br/>
Soon they got up to dance to a couple dance songs, then they danced to a slow song, Mark's arms wrapped around Hyuck's waist and Hyuck's around Mark's neck. They liked being close, they liked feeling the warm breath of each other on their necks.<br/>
Soon Taeyong and Ten left to go on their honeymoon. Mark and Kun made sure everything went well with clean up, then Mark and Hyuck left in Hyuck's car. Mark laid down in the passenger seat.<br/>
"You okay, babe?" Hyuck asked, glancing over at him.<br/>
"My head hurts. I feel exhausted and a bit dizzy" Mark said, sleepily. He turned on his side and curled up in the seat.<br/>
"I'm sorry,babe. I'll get you pain meds when we get home." Hyuck said.<br/>
"Thanks…" Mark shut his eyes and fell asleep. When they got home Hyuck woke Mark up and he went upstairs to their room while Hyuck got pain meds and water for him.<br/>
When he came upstairs he heard a loud noise from his bedroom and Hyuck ran to open the door.<br/>
When he opened it he saw Mark, collapsed on the floor, his face was paler. Hyuck ran to him. He caressed his face.<br/>
"Mark? Mark! Wake up!!" Hyuck's breathing got quicker and he felt like he was panicking. "Jaemin!!" He shouted, he knew he was home and Jaemin's room was right next to theirs. Jaemin came running in.<br/>
"What's wrong?" He said before looking at Mark. "What happened?"<br/>
"He-he said he wasn't feeling good, then he passed out!" Hyuck said, with tears in his eyes. Jaemin called the ambulance. Jaemin felt Mark's pulse.<br/>
"It's weaker than normal, but not too bad. What did he say about not feeling well?" Jaemin was in medical school so he tried to help.<br/>
"H-he said his head hurt and he felt dizzy… and he was really tired." Hyuck said in-between sobs. Jaemin hugged him.<br/>
"It'll be okay, Hyuck. He'll be okay."<br/>
Soon the paramedics came and got Mark, they told Jaemin and Hyuck to follow them. Jeno came along because he was the only other person home yet. They raced to the hospital but couldn't see him yet. Hyuck sat in a waiting chair, staring at the floor while Jaemin paced back and forth. Jeno kneeled in front of Hyuck.<br/>
"It'll be okay. Hyuck, don't think of the worst senerio. " Jeno said as he placed a hand on his knee. Hyuck just looked at him briefly.<br/>
15 minutes later they brought them back to a room, before they went in the doctor wanted to talk to them.<br/>
"So, who are you to the patient?" The doctor asked.<br/>
"I'm his cousin." Jaemin said.<br/>
"I'm his roommate." Jeno said quietly.<br/>
"I'm his boyfriend." Hyuck said, wanting to get on with it.<br/>
"Okay… well, he had a blood clot in his lung. Thankfully we caught it early and he just needs blood thinners. He passed out because of lack of oxygen. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation, but he should be good to go by tomorrow." They all sighed with relief. They came into his hospital room.<br/>
He was slightly awake, with an IV in his arm and a oxygen tube in his nose.<br/>
"Hey, Mark." Hyuck said as he held his hand.<br/>
"Hi, sorry to scare you." He said lethargically. His eyes were fluttering open and shut.<br/>
"Not your fault, babe."<br/>
"Hey, Mark. How are you feeling?" Jaemin asked.<br/>
"Fine… I can breathe better."<br/>
"Are you tired?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Mmhm… "<br/>
"We'll leave you then, so you can sleep." Jaemin said. Hyuck went to leave and Mark held onto his hand.<br/>
"Do you want me to stay?" Hyuck asked. Mark nodded slightly. "Okay, you guys go. I'll spend the night."<br/>
"You sure?" Jeno asked.<br/>
"Yep. I'll call you when he wakes up tomorrow." Jaemin and Jeno left and Hyuck sat in a arm chair next to him. He held Mark's hand.<br/>
"Thanks…" Mark whispered.<br/>
"No problem." Hyuck whispered back. Soon Mark was asleep and then Hyuck slowly drifted off to sleep, holding hands the entire time.<br/>
Hyuck awoke to coughing. He looked over at Mark and he was coughing until his face was red. Hyuck immediately sat up and patted Mark's back. Mark stopped coughing.<br/>
"You okay?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Mmhm. It just hurt a little. I'm okay." Hyuck went to go get him some water and when he came back the doctor was talking to Mark.<br/>
"So, you'll need to take these injections everyday until you come for a check up." The doctor said. Hyuck set the water on the table and listened. "You need to rest and take it easy for the next week, as the blood thinners haven't taken yet."<br/>
"Okay. "<br/>
"I'll show you how to inject the shot. Do you want him to be present?" He nodded at Hyuck.<br/>
"Yeah. It's fine. He's my boyfriend." The doctor nodded. First he lifted up Mark's gown to show his thigh, then he used an alcohol pad to wipe the area. Then he took the cap off of the needle.<br/>
"Now you can put it in your thigh or your forearm. " He quickly stabbed Mark and pushed the liquid out, Mark winced slightly, but it didn't hurt that much. The doctor wiped the blood away with another alcohol pad and then put a bandage on it. "That's all there is to do. Now, if it's hard for you to do it yourself you can ask your boyfriend to, or anyone else." Mark nodded.<br/>
"Thank you."<br/>
"A nurse will come up with the release papers, you can get dressed now. Your clothes are in the cupboard. "<br/>
"Thank you." Hyuck said quietly. The doctor walked out and closed the curtain for privacy. "You okay?"<br/>
"Yep. " Mark slowly got out of bed. Hyuck went into the cupboard to get his clothes and he changed into them. Hyuck called Jaemin and Jeno to pick them up.<br/>
They went to the desk to sign the release papers.<br/>
"You'll need someone else to sign to be responsible for you." The nurse at the desk said. Mark looked to Hyuck. Hyuck nodded and signed the papers.<br/>
They went outside, the breeze was nice in the autumn sun. They waited for Jaemin and Jeno to come then they got in and left. On their way home they picked up Mark's medicine and then arrived at the house.<br/>
When they got there all their roommates greeted them. Kun made a big breakfast for them and they ate and talked. Mark started getting sleepy so he went upstairs to rest. Hyuck also went upstairs a bit later because he realized he didn't get much sleep.<br/>
When he came in Mark was on the phone with someone.<br/>
"Yeah, I'm fine. There was a blood clot in my lungs from the broken rib before. Nothing too serious, I just have to take blood thinners." He paused and looked at Hyuck and smiled. Hyuck went into the the shower and when he got out Mark was still on the phone. "No, you enjoy your honeymoon, Hyung. I'm fine. I have so many roommates who are taking care of me. And Hyuck of course."<br/>
Hyuck got dressed in comfy clothes.<br/>
"Yeah, love you too. Bye." He hung up and put his phone on the bedside table.<br/>
"Was that Taeyong?" Hyuck asked as he slipped into bed next to him.<br/>
"Mmhm. He wanted to make sure I was okay." Mark scooted closer to Hyuck and laid his head on his chest, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Hyuck ran his hands through Mark's hair.<br/>
"How's his honeymoon going?"<br/>
"Good. They just arrived in Australia. They said they are going to go to a beach soon."<br/>
"That sounds like fun." Mark nodded slightly, then he was drifting off to sleep. </p><p>When he awoke Hyuck wasn't in bed with him and it was dark outside. Even though Mark knew he slept a while, he didn't feel rested. His lungs hurt when he breathed, it felt like he was breathing in cayenne pepper. He sat up and looked around the dark room.<br/>
He felt disoriented from sleep. He looked at his desk and then Hyuck's, he looked over to his closet door, which was open. He slowly got out of bed and opened the door, the hall light streaming into his room. He squinted his eyes, not yet used to the light.<br/>
"Hey, Mark. How are you feeling?" Kun asked as he was walking in the hallway.<br/>
"Uh, I'm fine." Mark and him went downstairs where Jeno and Hyuck were arguing about rules of a game, while Jaemin just pointed out that they should continue playing. Yukhei and Jungwoo sat on the other couch laughing.<br/>
Mark felt his head spinning, he didn't know if that was because of the blood clot or all the noises. He sat down in a chair near them. Hyuck stopped arguing and went over to Mark.<br/>
"You okay?" Hyuck asked him.<br/>
"Uh, yeah. I just feel dizzy a bit."<br/>
"I'll get you some water." Hyuck got up and got him some water. He came back and gave it to him. Mark drunk it greedily, not realizing how thirsty he was. He felt a little better.<br/>
Kun and Yuta made dinner for them and they all ate and watched a movie together. Soon Mark was tired again and took a shower then went to sleep. Hyuck joined him a bit later.<br/>
When Mark woke up he was very thirsty. He drank the water on his bedside table.<br/>
"Morning." Hyuck said sleepily. They both got out of bed. Hyuck insisted Mark stay home for a few days and get the classwork online.<br/>
"Babe, can you help me?" Mark asked. He couldn't bring himself to stab himself in the thigh.<br/>
"Yeah." Hyuck also didn't want to do it, but knew he had to to help Mark. So he carefully took the cap off. Hyuck took a deep breath and looked at Mark, who rolled his boxers up a bit so he could get a good spot.<br/>
"It's okay. It doesn't even hurt that much," Mark put his hand on the other's thigh. Hyuck took the alchol pad and cleaned the area he was about to prick. Hyuck took another deep breath and injected the needle. Hyuck winced as Mark did. He pushed it all out them took the needle out of his thigh and held a cotton pad down on it as some blood came out. He got a bandaid with elmo on it. "Is that the only bandaid we have?"<br/>
"No, but it will make it heal faster!" Hyuck said with a smile and put it on him. He threw away the needle and the rest of the trash that he made.<br/>
"Thanks." Mark said, smiling at him.<br/>
"No problem."  Mark hugged him from behind.<br/>
"Are you sure you can't stay here with me?" Mark asked softly.<br/>
"Yeah.. I have to go to class. Participating is important in my singing class." Hyuck said, hugging him back. Mark pouted and Hyuck smirked at him.<br/>
"What?"<br/>
"You're needy too." Hyuck said with a wide smile on his face. Mark rolled his eyes at him.<br/>
"Only when it comes to you." Hyuck kissed Mark softly then picked up his backpack.  They said goodbyes and Hyuck was off to class. </p><p>Mark's blood clot disappeared and soon he was back to full health. Taeyong and Ten got back and had a weekly dinner with Mark and Hyuck. Life was started to be normal again. Soon it was winter break and Hyuck went to Korea again. Mark wished Hyuck was with him on new year's because he got super nervous around that time. He had a small party with his roommates who either had family in Korea or who didn't go home for the trip. Mark fell asleep talking to Hyuck that night.<br/>
Soon it was spring and Mark's junior year was coming to a close and he was drained and tired of going to classes. He was ready for summer. When summer came around Mark wished he was back in school because he got overloaded with work from his father and  Hyuck went to Korea for June.</p><p>Hyuck got a call at 3am his time from Mark. He answered.<br/>
"Hmmm?" Hyuck said sleepily. His mind was still foggy from sleep.<br/>
"Hyuck. Guess where I'm getting off a plane at?" Mark said excitedly.<br/>
"Hmm? Where? Wait, why were you on a plane?" Hyuck sat up, the sleep suddenly disappearing from his mind.<br/>
"My dad needed me to travel for business. I have to attend a business meeting and suggest my ideas and go to this one day conference."<br/>
"Oh… where are you?" Hyuck said, waking up a little bit more.<br/>
"Korea."<br/>
"Huh?" Hyuck excitedly sat up.<br/>
"Yeah. I'm on my way from Incheon airport to Seoul. My father gave me an apartment in the city to stay at. "<br/>
"How long are you here?"<br/>
"Uh, four days. " Hyuck got really excited. He smiled widely. He didn't get to spend any of summer with him so far and he missed him.<br/>
"Great. When can I see you?" Mark chuckled.<br/>
"You can either wait until the morning or I'll be at the apartment in 40 minutes." Hyuck got up and started packing with the phone in-between his shoulder and cheek. "are you really going to meet me there?"<br/>
"Yeah. Do you not want me to?"<br/>
"No, I do. I just didn't expect you were going to give up sleep for me."<br/>
"I'll give up a lot of things for you." Hyuck said. He shoved things in his backpack.<br/>
"I'll send you the address."  Mark hung up. Hyuck finished packing, left a note for his aunt and grandmother and then got a Lyft to the place. It was a 20 minute ride, but he didn't care. He thought of hugging Mark and kissing him.<br/>
The Lyft pulled up to a building made of glass. He got out and went into the lobby, it looked like a hotel. The ceiling was tall and had intricate molding on it. The lobby had a man at it who looked to also be a security guard. Hyuck looked at the text Mark sent with the address. He went to the elevators, also made of glass. He pressed the button that went to the 6th floor. There were 12 floors. He waited and a quiet ding was heard to signal they were on the 6th floor. The doors opened and he stepped into the hallway. The carpet had a golden pattern on it and there were gold sconce on the walls. There were 5 apartments on this floor. He walked to the door that said 64 and knocked on the white door. He heard shuffling and then Mark opened the door.<br/>
He was just wearing sweat pants, no top and his glasses. He held a towel on his head, trying to dry it. Hyuck smiled at him.<br/>
"Hi." Hyuck said. Hyuck thought Mark looked really hot, maybe because he had on sweatpants and was still wet from the shower.<br/>
"Hi." Mark said with a smile. Hyuck walked in and Mark shut the door. The apartment was huge. There was a living room with two couches and a fireplace. Everything was white and black, modern. The kitchen was seen from the living room and it had at least 20 cabinets. The dinning room was also elegant and spacious. Then there was a hallway with two doors. Hyuck assumed one was a bedroom and one was a bathroom.<br/>
"Damn, this place is nice!" Hyuck said, looking around in awe. Mark made his way to one of the doors and put his towel away and then threw on a shirt.<br/>
"Yeah, I told him I didn't need much. I guess this is not much for him." Mark walked back into the living room where Hyuck was. He hugged him. Hyuck hugged back tightly.<br/>
"I missed you." Hyuck said into his shoulder.<br/>
"I missed you too." Mark stroked his hair. They pulled out of the hug and held each other's waist at arms length.<br/>
"Are you tired?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Uh, a little. I was on business class so I had more room on the plane." Hyuck nodded. "Are you tired?"<br/>
"Hmmm, a little. It is 4AM. " Mark nodded. He took Hyuck's hand and led him to the bedroom. There was a king bed, a small couch and coffee table in the room. The walls were painted white with a tinge of green. They got in bed together and snuggled.<br/>
"Hyuckie?" Mark said after a bit. Hyuck couldn't quite fall asleep, as he kept thinking about Mark.<br/>
"Hmm?"<br/>
"I'm saving up for a place for us, when I graduate. Not as big as this, but it will still be nice." Hyuck looked at Mark, who looked nervous. Hyuck kissed Mark softly, nibbling at his lip a little when he pulled away.<br/>
"I love that idea." Hyuck smiled at him. Mark smiled back, a smile that sent shivers down Hyuck's spine.<br/>
"I love you."<br/>
"I love you too, babe." Hyuck sat up and Mark looked up at him. "Mark?"<br/>
"Yes?" Hyuck turned his head to face him.<br/>
"I can't stop thinking about you in sweat pants." Mark's lips curled into a small smile. He sat up and put his hand on Hyuck's cheek and rubbed his thumb across his bottom lip. Hyuck's eyes were glued to Mark's soft gaze.<br/>
"Want to do something about that?" Mark said in an almost whisper. Hyuck couldn't help but lick his lips where Mark's thumb had been. Hyuck nodded. Mark smiled at him as Hyuck closed the distance in between them and their lips met. Hyuck had certainly missed the electricity when they kissed. Mark smirked against his lips. "So that's what turns you on?" Hyuck pushed Mark down and got on top of him.<br/>
"Shut up and kiss me." Hyuck replied. Mark smiled and Hyuck leaned over to kiss him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Domestic</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Hyuck woke up Mark wasn't in bed with him. He got up and walked out of the room. He made his way to the kitchen, where he found a note. <br/><em>Order whatever you want off this menu. I had a morning meeting, but I'll be back by 11am and we can have lunch together. <br/>                Love Mark.</em><br/>Hyuck called the number and ordered a small breakfast. He then took a shower, and changed his clothes. He ate breakfast of toast with jelly, coffee and fruit, and then got a call from Jeno. </p><p>"Hey."<br/>"Hi, where'd you go?"<br/>"Oh, I left a note. I went to see Mark."<br/>"He's in Korea?"<br/>"Yep. For four days. I'm going to stay with him until he goes back." Hyuck put some toast in his mouth.<br/>"Okay, grandmother said he wants to see him." <br/>"Mark?"<br/>"Yeah. I don't know why. Bring him for dinner one day."<br/>"Okay." Hyuck hung up and then started wandering the apartment. He looked out the window to see the amazing city. He could see buildings on buildings and people walking around, they looked so tiny. <br/>He lounged around for a while, being bored. He walked into the bathroom and got some cotton swabs. He started trying to make buildings out of them, until he heard the doorknob turning. <br/>He excitedly sat on the couch in front of the door. <br/>Mark walked in, with his glasses on. He was wearing a light blue button up shirt with a blueish purple tie. He had on black slacks and his shirt was tucked in. He walked in and smiled at Hyuck. <br/>"Sorry, I'm late." Mark said as he took his shoes off. Hyuck smiled at him.<br/>"It's okay." Hyuck stood up and hugged him. Mark wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of his head. "You look hot by the way."<br/>"Uh, Thanks." Mark blushed slightly, not expecting Hyuck to say that. "what do you want to do?" <br/>"Uh, I don't care. Are you hungry?"<br/>"Yeah, kinda." <br/>"Let's go somewhere to eat!" Mark smiled at him. Hyuck was so easy to please. As long as Mark spent time with him, Hyuck was happy.<br/>"Okay. Let me change though." <br/>"Awe," Hyuck pouted at him. Mark rolled his eyes and started walking.He stopped in his tracks to stare at the cotton swab tower. He raised an eyebrow at Hyuck. <br/>"I was bored." Hyuck shrugged. Mark smiled and walked into the bedroom. He put on jeans and took off the tie. "okay, ready."<br/>They left and went down the elevator, holding hands. They walked outside of the building and onto the bustling street. <br/>"Where do you want to go?" Mark asked Hyuck.<br/>"Hmmm, want to get sushi?" Hyuck asked. Mark nodded and they headed towards a sushi place that Hyuck loved. They went into the restaurant and sat down. They ordered a variety of things and shared. <br/>After they were done they went to the Han river to walk around. <br/>"I love being here with you." Hyuck said, a content smile on his face.<br/>"Yeah?"<br/>"Yeah. It reminds me of where I grew up, which has good and bad parts, but when you're here it's only good parts." Hyuck leaned his head back to soak up the sun rays. Mark smiled at him. <br/>Hyuck's skin looked so good in the sun, the sun reflecting off of his dark skin. Mark noticed his moles that he loves so much. Mark really couldn't be anymore in love with Hyuck.<br/>Mark kissed Hyuck's lips, surprising Hyuck, who had his eyes closed. Hyuck smiled against his lips. <br/>"Oh, by the way, my grandmother wants to have dinner with us. Maybe Thursday if you don't have any late meetings?" Hyuck said. <br/>"Yeah, Thursday should work." Hyuck kissed Mark on the cheek and they kept walking. <br/>They walked for 2 hours, enjoying the light conversation and the sun. They headed back to the apartment and Mark got on a conference call. <br/>Mark was sat in the dinning room, Two laptops in front of him. One with a video call and the other with documents. He also was scribbling on a notepad when people would suggest things. <br/>Hyuck watched a tv show, but got bored. He wandered around the apartment. He walked into the dinning room and listened to Mark's call for a bit. They were talking about marketing. <br/>Hyuck looked at Mark, who wasn't paying attention to him. Hyuck started dancing around the table, Mark looked up at him and smiled. Hyuck then sat down at the table, not being seen by the laptop and put his hand on Mark's thigh. <br/>Mark raised his eyebrows at him. <br/>"Yes, I agree. The Spanish market needs to expand-" Hyuck started moving his hand up and down Mark's thigh, distracting him. "And, uh, that means more, uh, advertising and um, getting in more stores." Mark nudged Hyuck's hand off of his thigh. Hyuck smirked at him. <br/>Someone else was talking and Mark was nodding his head. Hyuck placed his hand on Mark's inner thigh and started moving it up and down. Mark bit his lip so he wouldn't react, but it was really turning him on. <br/>"Mmhm...and, uh, David, can you get on calling other stores?" Mark said. He gave Hyuck a look that said stop, I'm busy. But Hyuck just smirked back at him. "Okay, sounds good. What should we do with the France store?" Some people began talking but he wasn't paying attention because Hyuck was still running his inner thigh. He put himself on mute and moved his head a bit from the camera.<br/>"Hyuck, what are you doing?" <br/>"Hmm? Nothing. Just listening." Hyuck said with a smug smile. <br/>"You're distracting me, babe…" <br/>"I'm bored." Mark sighed.<br/>"Okay. This meeting will be over in 20 minutes. Then I can pay attention to you." Hyuck pouted, but stopped moving his hand and took it off Mark's thigh. <br/>He took it off mute. <br/>"Good, that's an improvement." Mark said. He mouthed Thank you to Hyuck. Hyuck smiled slightly then walked into the bedroom. <br/>Mark finished up the meeting and went to find Hyuck. Hyuck was laying on the bed, playing some type of game on his phone. Mark came in and straddled Hyuck's legs. Hyuck looked up and put his phone down. <br/>"Hi." Hyuck said with a smile. <br/>"Hi." Mark said. "You're so distracting, babe." Mark kissed him deeply. Hyuck kissed back. <br/>"Sorry." Hyuck whispered against his lips. <br/>"Hmmm, no need to be sorry. You're always going to be distracting. Of course I'd rather be with you than in a meeting." Hyuck smiled brightly. <br/>"Do you have anymore work you have to do today?"<br/>"No, I need to submit revised plans, but I just have to send them in by midnight." Hyuck smiled and started unbuttoning Mark's shirt. Mark smiled and kissed him again.</p><p>Hyuck laid in bed, head on Mark's chest and Mark's arms wrapped around him. <br/>"Are you friends with any of your coworkers?" Hyuck asked.<br/>"Uh, kinda. Well Jaehyun does a little bit of work on managing one of the branches and so does Jaemin. Jungwoo also works for a different branch. But all of my coworkers are older than me. When I had to go to Spain I stayed at one of their houses though. Ronoldo is nice, he has two kids and a wife. They were all nice to me when I stayed with them."<br/>"Awe, that's nice." Hyuck used his fingers to trace over Mark's abs. "Do you want kids?" Hyuck asked shyly.<br/>"Uh, maybe one day. Do you?" <br/>"Yeah. I'd like to have kids some day." Mark smiled at him. <br/>"Then we will." Hyuck looked up at him, surprised. Mark just smiled at him. <br/>"We?"<br/>"Yep. I mean if you want to." Hyuck smiled widely. He couldn't believe that Mark wanted to have kids with him. His heart was warm and he kissed Mark passionately. So passionately that it surprised Mark. Hyuck pulled away and smiled at him.<br/>"I'd love to have kids with you." Hyuck said quietly.  Mark smiled. <br/>When they were together all of reality didn't matter, they loved each other and that's all they could see. They didn't think about how they would have children or if they even could get married. </p><p>They spent the next day mostly together, besides two meetings that Mark had. Mark loved coming home to Hyuck. That night Mark came home and Hyuck had made him dinner. Mark wanted it to be like this always. He and Hyuck didn’t share a room after this summer because Jisung and Chenle were moving in and Hyuck would be rooming with Jisung and Chenle would move to where he was. Xioajun was moving back into Mark’s room. Mark would graduate next year and Hyuck could move in with him then. <br/>It was now thursday and Mark had to go to the one day conference. He said he would meet Hyuck at his grandma’s at 6:30. Hyuck went there early to spend time with Jeno and because he had nothing else to do. <br/>He was helping his grandmother in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Jeno went to answer it and saw Mark standing in the doorway, wet from the rain.<br/>“Hey, Mark. Raining hard?” Mark came in and took his coat off.<br/>“Yeah. Traffic was really bad because of it.” He took his shoes off then hugged Jeno. <br/>“How have you been?”<br/>“Uh, good. But busy. How about you?”<br/>“I’ve been okay, I am kinda bored of Korea though.”<br/>“Bored?” Mark raised his eyebrows at him. “More like you miss Jaemin.” Jeno elbowed him in the side, Mark chuckled and then they walked into the kitchen. Hyuck’s grandma smiled at him when he came in, her wrinkly eyelids turning downwards in an eye smile, similar to Jeno's.<br/>“Mark!” She gave him a hug.<br/>“Hi, grandma.” Mark said with a smile.“Hi, babe.” He said to Hyuck. Hyuck smiled at him. <br/>“Hi, how was work?”<br/>“It was tiring, but fine.”<br/>“Oh, come sit down.” Hyuck’s grandmother ushered him to a seat at the table.<br/>“Oh, I’m fine, grandma.” He said as she fussed about getting him water and such. <br/>Soon the food was ready and they all ate together. They talked about various things. Mostly about the weather and school. Hyuck's grandmother asked Mark a lot of questions.<br/>After dinner Grandmother asked Jeno and Hyuck to clean up, while he led Mark to the study.<br/>Mark gave Hyuck a look that said what's this about? Hyuck just shrugged.<br/>Hyuck's grandmother walked to a desk in the study and got something out of the drawer.<br/>"Sit down." She said. Mark sat down on an old leather couch. She sat down across from him. "What do you want to do after you graduate?" <br/>"Uh, I'll probably work for my father's business."<br/>"I meant with Haechanie." She said, eyes scanning him. For the first time Mark felt intimidated by her.<br/>"Uh, I um. I want to get an apartment and I would like Hyuck to move in with me." Mark said shyly.<br/>"Do you love him?" <br/>"Yes, with all my heart." Mark said confidently. <br/>"I know he wants a family and a wedding too. Can you give that to him?" Mark thought for a moment.<br/>"Yes. I want that too. I want to give him whatever he wants. I want to make him happy." Suddenly her demeanor changed from cold to warm. <br/>"Good." She leaned forward and held Mark's hand. Her hand was shaky and small, like if Mark squeezed it it would break. "I had a good feeling about you. I like you Mark and I know Haechan loves you." She pulled out a small velvet box. "This was his grandfather's. I thought you would like it, for whenever you want to ask." She opened the box and it held a silver ring with a black small ring in the middle. Mark smiled.<br/>"Are you sure?" <br/>"Yes. You're the right one and I want him to have it. You can personalize it if you want." Mark took the box.<br/>"Thank you. I'm honored." They then walked out of the study , Mark slipped the box in his pocket. They walked to the kitchen and Hyuck quirked an eyebrow at him. Mark just smiled in response.<br/>They talked for a while, then Hyuck and Mark left. On the drive back Hyuck started to get curious.<br/>"What was that about?" <br/>"Hmmm?" Mark said.<br/>"The conversation in the study with my grandma." Hyuck put his hand on Mark's thigh.<br/>"Oh, nothing. She was just making sure I'm treating you well." <br/>"Oh?" Hyuck rubbed his hand along his inner thigh. Mark tensed up.<br/>"Babe… not right now. I'm driving." <br/>"And what did she decide?" <br/>"Uh, that I'm, um." He was getting distracted by Hyuck's touch. "She said… I'm the right one." He finished. Hyuck gripped Mark's thigh.<br/>"Yeah you are." Mark bit his lip. <br/>"Hyuck, wait until we get home." Hyuck sighed and removed his hand. <br/>"What else did she say?" Hyuck said quietly.<br/>"Uh, nothing much. She just asked me a bunch of questions." <br/>"Like?"<br/>"Like, do I love you, and what I plan to do in the future." <br/>"Hmmm." Hyuck said, suddenly feeling very tired. The drive was 20 minutes but it felt longer because Hyuck wanted to kiss him badly. <br/>When they got there they walked into the elevator. Mark pressed the floor 6 button and Hyuck suddenly pushed him into the wall and kissed him. Mark was surprised, but he eventually kissed back and rested his hands on Hyuck's hips. Soon the door opened and Mark pulled back and led him out. He unlocked the door and they went inside. Hyuck with a smirk on his face. <br/>"I love you." Hyuck said, following him to the bedroom.<br/>"I love you too." Mark replied. </p><p>Hyuck woke up to Mark shuffling around the room, packing. He went into the bathroom and packed a few things. He looked like a fairy, dancing round swiftly. Hyuck watched him from the bed. <br/>He loved how his wet bangs got in his eyes, and the way he looked with his circle glasses on. He loved the way his brow furrowed when he was thinking and the way he looked up every now and then.<br/>"Good morning." Hyuck said in his morning voice. Mark looked up at him.<br/>"Morning, sunshine." He smiled at him.<br/>"What time is your flight?"<br/>"Uh, 3. But I have to check in at 1:30" Mark zipped up his suitcase. <br/>"What time is it?" Mark checked his watch. "10:45." Hyuck rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. He took a quick shower then got out and got dressed. <br/>"Can we have a picnic at Han river?" Hyuck asked, pulling on his jeans.<br/>"Okay. Sounds fun." Mark and Hyuck leave to walk around. They got gimbap and some other snacks, making their way around the little shops joking and laughing. <br/>They went to the river and put down a blanket. They set things out and sat in the sun. Hyuck closed his eyes and looked up at the sun. He really was full-sun, he tried to soak it up any chance he got. <br/>Mark stared at him, his dark skin glistening in the sun. Mark smiled softly at him. Hyuck felt eyes on him and turned around to look at Mark and smiled. </p><p>"Can we take a picture?" Hyuck asked. Mark nodded. <br/>Mark and Hyuck got close together and took a selfie. Then Hyuck kissed him on the cheek and took a photo, surprising Mark a bit. Then Hyuck kissed him on the lips and took a photo. Hyuck smiled and put his phone down.<br/>"Did you really need to document us kissing?" <br/>"Hmm, I just wanted it for myself, babe." Hyuck said, kissing him on the cheek. <br/>"Okay… don't post it or anything." Hyuck nodded. <br/>"Can I send it to our group chat?" <br/>"Sure." Hyuck sent it to the group chat with all the past and present roommates. </p><p>To Bad Ass Hoes:<br/>Look at my cute boyfriend 😍<br/><strong>Image attachment.</strong></p><p>He got a bunch of replies saying cute and is Mark in Korea? And such. <br/>"I wish I could show you off to the world." Hyuck pouted. <br/>"I know babe. But… my dad can't find out…" Mark held his hand.<br/>"So… are you going to lie to him forever? What about… our future?" Mark thought for a moment.<br/>"No, I mean. I'll tell him. I'll… I just can't now… I uh, mean. I have to think of a way to do that." Mark scratched his head nervously. <br/>"It's okay, babe. I shouldn't have asked." Hyuck kissed him on the cheek. <br/>"I'm sorry, I'm… I can't tell him right now. I'm sorry we have to keep it a secret from the public." Hyuck looked at him and smiled.<br/>"It's okay. I shouldn't have asked. Babe, I'm okay with it now. I don't need anything else right now." He kissed him on the cheek. Mark still looked guilty. "I promise." Mark nodded. Hyuck kissed him, Mark didn't kiss back at first, but then melted into the kiss. <br/>"I'm sorry." Mark said, head resting on Hyuck's.<br/>"Babe, you don't have to be. I love you and nothing else matters." Hyuck kissed him softly. They kissed, wanting to be like this forever. </p><p>Mark broke apart and looked at his watch. <br/>"It's 12:45 we better get going." They cleaned up and then walked back to his apartment. After that they got in a cab and we're on their way to the airport. <br/>"I don't want you to go." Hyuck pouted, leaning on Mark in the back seat.<br/>"I know. But I have meetings in New York." Mark said squeezing Hyuck's hand. </p><p>Soon they were at the airport and checked Mark in. <br/>"Bye, babe. I'll see you when you come back." Mark hugged Hyuck tight.<br/>"Bye… Hopefully I'll be back in a few weeks." Hyuck kissed him, maybe a little too long in public.<br/>"I love you."<br/>"I love you too." Mark kissed him on the cheek then went through security.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How did you like it? This chapter was just really fun and cute. It was super fun to write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Mark's Father</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soon Fall came again and they fell into school work. Hyuck and Mark celebrated their 4th anniversary. They went to a fancy dinner. That cost more than their textbooks, but Mark had money from working for his father. Hyuck felt like he had a sugar daddy sometimes.</p><p>Winter came and passed and with no important updates. Soon it was Mark's last semester and he mostly had online classes. Mark was away on business trips often, lasting a few days. <br/>But he was back for spring break and he had to go to a business party. He invited Hyuck because he didn't want to go alone and they had been spending less time with each other recently. Hyuck felt far away from him.<br/>He came in with Hyuck and there were about 30 men and 10 women dressed in suits or dresses. Mark wore a suit with a black tie and Hyuck wore a suit without a tie, he actually despised ties. Mark handed Hyuck a drink. Some type of cocktail that was red.<br/>"Thanks for coming. I'd be completely bored if you didn't." Mark said as he leaned against the drink table.<br/>"I love a good excuse to dress up!" Hyuck said with a wink. Mark smiled at him.</p><p>They mingled, talked to a few of his co-workers, and Hyuck liked getting to know business Mark. He was different than usual Mark, but he still made lame jokes. <br/>"Min-Hyung." His father walked over to him. <br/>"Hello, Father." <br/>"Oh, you brought Donghyuck?" He said.<br/>"Yes, Mr. Lee. Mark told me I should start making connections since I am going to graduate next year." His father nodded.<br/>"Yes, that is a good idea." A woman walked up behind his father. "Oh, Hye Yoon. Come here." The woman in a red dress walked over. She had long black hair and perfect skin. She was definitely full bred Korean. She looked about Mark's age.<br/>"Hello." She said.<br/>"This is Hye Yoon, your future wife." Mark's eyes widened. He resisted looking at Hyuck's face. He felt a deep cold feeling in his chest.<br/>"My what?" <br/>"Their family is really close to ours in business. Plus you guys are the same age." Someone called his father's name. "Excuse me." He walked away. <br/>"Uh, hello. I'm Mark. This is uh, Hyuck." Mark said awkwardly.<br/>"Nice to meet you." She shook his hand. "I have to admit you are more attractive than I thought." She said with a smile. <br/>"Uh, thanks…" Mark said. Hyuck suddenly stormed off, making his way to the door. "Uh, if you'll excuse me." Mark said and he ran after Hyuck. <br/>He followed Hyuck into the Hall and away from the people. Hyuck opened the doors to the balcony. Hyuck felt like his chest was on fire. He needed to breathe. <br/>"Hyuck." Mark said following him. Hyuck squatted, trying to catch his breath. He hoped the fresh air would help. "Hyuck?" Mark squatted next to him. A tear ran down Hyuck's face. "Babe…"<br/>"Why- why did you bring me?" Hyuck said, finally catching his breath.<br/>"I didn't know he would do this. I didn't know. I'm sorry." Mark patted his back. Hyuck stood up.<br/>"Why… why would he just spring that on you?" Mark stood up.<br/>"I don't know. He does that. That's how he did it to Taeyong." Mark held Hyuck's hand. Hyuck wanted to move it away, but didn't.<br/>"Are-are you going to marry her?" Hyuck looked down. Another tear slipping from his cheek onto the ground. <br/>"No. No." Mark hugged him. "I'm not. I want to marry you. I love you." Hyuck cried on his shoulder. "baby, please don't cry. I only love you." Hyuck looked at him. <br/>"But… what are you going to do?" <br/>"I… I don't know. I'll… run away. I'll run away with you. Like Taeyong did." Mark said quietly.<br/>"But, you and your dad actually have a good relationship now… I can't interfere." Hyuck looked at the ground again. <br/>"Hey," Mark tilted his head up to look at him. "If I do anything it's because I want to. You're never interfering in my life." Mark wiped his tears away. "I'll tell him… I'll tell him I love you. I'll tell him that I want to be with you." <br/>"But… " Hyuck began. <br/>"No, I want to. And if he can't accept that, fine… but give me some time to tell him?"<br/>"Okay…" Hyuck said despondent. Mark kissed him softly, caressing his cheek. "I've missed you." Hyuck whispered. <br/>"I missed you too. I'm going to be staying put until I graduate. " Mark kissed Hyuck again, wanting him to know how much he loved him. "Then we can move in together." Hyuck smiled softly, but he still looked downcast. <br/>"That sounds nice." <br/>"What's wrong?" Mark asked, holding his hands.<br/>"I- I was scared. Because I hadn't seen you in a week and then your dad introduced her… I thought you might say yes…"<br/>"No baby, I love you and only you." Mark looked him in the eyes. "Only you. I'll never marry someone else, babe." <br/>"Okay." Mark kissed Hyuck, biting his lip slightly.<br/>"Do you believe me?" Mark asked. Hyuck looked at the ground. Mark kissed him again, peppering his neck with kisses. "Now do you believe me?" Mark asked, not letting Hyuck answer and going for another kiss. Hyuck smiled against his lips. "Now?" <br/>"Yes, yes. I believe you." Hyuck giggled. Mark smiled at him and wrapped his arms around his waist. <br/>"Good." Hyuck smiled and leaned against his chest. <br/>They looked out at the city, wrapped up in each other. They looked out and for some reason they were filled with a sense of peace. </p><p>They spent the rest of spring break together. And after Mark was busy with school, he spent as much time as he could with Hyuck. Hyuck finished out his junior year and Mark graduated finally. Hyuck and his family went to the graduation dinner and they all celebrated. Soon Mark was thrown into his father’s business. He was asked to manage a branch and was busy with work. <br/>Hyuck decided not to go to Korea and instead do some classes for the summer semester. Hyuck, Yukhei, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, and Mark were the only ones who were in the house for the summer. Mark was barely home though. <br/>One night Mark came home late. All the roommates that were there were watching a show on the TV. When Mark walked in Hyuck stood up and went over to him.<br/>“Hey, how was work?” Hyuck asked. Mark put down his briefcase. <br/>“Long. How was your day?” Mark took his shoes off. Mark looked tired, he had bags under his eyes and it seemed like he was spacing out.<br/>“It was good. My singing class was fun.” Mark nodded absent minded. “Is something wrong?”<br/>“Hmmm?” Mark looked at him. “I, uh, just have something on my mind.”<br/>“What is it?” Hyuck put his arm around Mark’s waist. Mark looked off into the distance then suddenly looked at him.<br/>“I-I told my father.” Hyuck’s eyes widened. <br/>“Really? How did he respond?” Hyuck took Mark’s hand and squeezed it.<br/>“He, uh, got mad. But he did, uh, said he was proud of me for standing up to him.” Hyuck smiled. Mark looked to the ground. “He said, he still doesn't approve." <br/>"Oh?" Hyuck squeezed his hand. <br/>"It was weird. I- I don't know how to respond. He just said to see him tomorrow. He- he didn't tell." Hyuck kissed him on the cheek.<br/>"That must be confusing." Hyuck hugged him. "It's okay not to know how to feel about it." Mark nodded. “Do you want to watch the show?” Mark shook his head. “Do you want me to keep you company?” <br/>“Yeah…” Hyuck led Mark upstairs and they went to Mark’s room. Mark took a shower and then got into bed. Hyuck crawled in next to him. Mark curled up next to Hyuck, feeling small and confused.<br/>“Are you okay?” Hyuck wrapped his arms around Mark. <br/>“No.” Mark took a deep breath. “Why didn’t Taeyong get that easy of a time? Why did he let me off? Why didn’t he yell at me?” <br/>“I don’t know, babe.” <br/>“He was just… silently angry… He said he was disappointed… and he looked through me…” Mark said quietly. “He said I should take a lower title at work.”<br/>“I’m sorry,” Hyuck saw how confused and sad Mark was.<br/>“I don’t care about the job… I don’t care if he disowned me.” Mark sat up. “But why did he treat Taeyong like that? If he was just going to accept me.” Hyuck pulled Mark down and looked at him.<br/>“We can’t know. He thinks a different way. It is not your fault that he treated you differently.” Hyuck looked in his eyes. “It is not your fault.” Mark nodded slowly. Mark crawled further into his arms, resting his head on Hyuck’s chest. Hyuck rubbed his back. <br/>Soon Mark fell asleep and Hyuck did soon after.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Ikea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From that day on Mark worked fewer hours. He didn't have to work weekends as he did before. Hyuck liked that because he had more time with him. One afternoon after Hyuck came back from class, Mark was home.</p><p>"Hey, babe. Whatcha doing home?" Hyuck asked Mark who was talking to Yukhei. Mark turned around.<br/>"I was waiting for you. Do you want to get lunch?" <br/>"Sure!" Mark led Hyuck outside, holding his hand. They got into Mark's car and went to their favorite Italian place.<br/>They got there and ordered. Hyuck was craving their gnocchi for weeks. He was really excited for it.<br/>"Hyuck?" Hyuck looked up at Mark. "Do you want to look at apartments together?" Hyuck smiled.<br/>"Yeah. I'd love to." They had looked at ads online and seen a couple apartments, but they didn't like any thus far. Everything was either run down or not close to campus.<br/>They finished lunch quickly then went to three apartment showings. One was further from campus, but was spacious and had a pool. Hyuck liked the idea of having a pool and a pool party with his friends.</p><p>Another one was right on campus, but had only one bedroom and a small kitchen. The kitchen could barely house a stove and a fridge. Mark didn't care much about the kitchen, but Hyuck wanted a big one to cook in and entertain people. </p><p>The third one was just outside of campus. It had two bedrooms and a decent sized living room and kitchen. Most importantly it had a balcony. <br/>Mark and Hyuck decided that apartment was the best one. <br/>They moved in a week later with the help of everyone in the house. <br/>Mark and Hyuck had bought a king bed, and taken a dresser and such, but their apartment was pretty empty except for that.</p><p>They were lounging on their bed, Hyuck doing homework and Mark doing work on his laptop.<br/>"Do you want to go to IKEA today?" Mark asked, shutting his laptop. <br/>"Yeah!" Hyuck said, closing his own laptop. "Should we invite others to come? They do love Ikea."<br/>"Sure. Ask in the group chat." Mark got up and went into the bathroom. He fixed his messy hair in the mirror<br/>"Yukhei, Jungwoo, Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung, and Chenle said they'd come." Hyuck said from the bedroom. <br/>"Sweet." Mark came out of the bathroom. They both got their shoes on and headed out. </p><p>They met their friends in the lobby. Jaemin shockingly had pink hair.<br/>"Jaem, what did you do?" Mark asked as he walked in. Jaemin pouted.<br/>"You don't like it?" <br/>"No, I do. I'm just surprised." Mark said, patting Jaemin's shoulder.<br/>"Okay, fuckers, listen up." Hyuck said. "We need a dining table and chairs. Two couches, maybe one soft chair and a coffee table. Also if you see any good decorations." Everyone nodded. </p><p>They went up the escalator and then they dispersed. Yukhei and Jungwoo stayed together.<br/>"Babe." Yukhei said from inside a closet. Jungwoo looked for him. Jungwoo looked in the last place he saw him in and he wasn't there.<br/>"Where are you?" Jungwoo looked by the bedroom display, but he wasn't there. He walked by the closets and suddenly Yukhei burst out of one of them. <br/>"Ahh!" Jungwoo yelped. Yukhei laughed, doubling over. Jungwoo, after calming down, hit Yukhei's back. "don't do that!" <br/>"Your face was so funny!" Yukhei said in-between laughs. Jungwoo hit him on the back again.<br/>"We are supposed to be looking for a coffee table." Jungwoo moved to the next display of a living room. They looked at a bunch of coffee tables and found a black one with a drawer and nice decorative legs. They took a picture of it and wrote the number down. </p><p>"Now we can mess around!" Yukhei said. They moved to a display of a kitchen and a living room by it.  Yukhei pulled Jungwoo so that they were behind a fridgerator. Yukhei kissed Jungwoo behind a refrigerator. Jungwoo kissed back but then pushed Yukhei off of him.<br/>"Not that kind of messing around." Jungwoo kissed his nose and led him to the next section. </p><p>Soon they all met up at the end and went to the restaurant.<br/>"I love their meatballs!" Jaemin said.<br/>"I'm sure you do." Hyuck said as he raised his eyebrows. Jaemin elbowed him in the gut. <br/>"Wait, where is Jisung and Chenle?" Jaemin asked. <br/>"Yeah, where are they?" Jungwoo said, worried. <br/>Suddenly Chenle came out and into the restaurant part. <br/>"Hey, there you are. Where's Jisung?" Mark asked. <br/>"Uh, about that…" Chenle rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly. "I kinda lost him…"<br/>"What!? You lost baby mouse?" Jaemin said, suddenly shaking Chenle.<br/>"Calm down, Jaem." Jeno said, putting his hand on his shoulder.<br/>"What happened, Chenle?" Mark asked.<br/>"Well, I needed to go to the bathroom, but Jisung didn't want to go with me. He said he'd wait there, but when I came back, he wasn't there. I tried calling him. He didn't answer." Chenle was kinda jittery.<br/>"Calm down, he's probably just wandering around." Mark said. They all split up to look for him. <br/>They looked for 30 minutes.  Chenle looked in all of the closets. Jungwoo looked by the bathroom displays with Yukhei. Jeno and Jaemin looked in the bedroom section and Mark looked by the office things. Hyuck was searching for him in the living room department. He walked through the living room and saw hair peaking out from behind a couch. He looked behind it and saw the boy. <br/>"Park Jisung!" Hyuck said as he saw Jisung who was playing a video game behind the couch. <br/>"Huh?" <br/>"We've been looking for you for the last half hour!" Hyuck made him stand up and walked him to the exit. <br/>"It's been 30 minutes?"<br/>"Yes! Jaemin almost killed Chenle for losing you." Hyuck texted the group chat that he found him. They waited at the exit. <br/>"Jisungie!" Jaemin came running at him, he hugged him and Jisung scowled. <br/>"Where did you go?" Chenle asked. <br/>"I was playing a video game… " he scratched his head nervously. They all went to eat and they all babied Jisung. </p><p>Once they finished they got the furniture and took it to the car. They went to Hyuck and Mark's apartment and put them inside. Jungwoo and Yukhei left to go to their own apartment, which was 2 floors down from Mark and Hyuck's. <br/>Jaemin and Jeno and Chenle and Jisung stayed to help build some things. Jisung and Chenle fought about the desk and Jeno and Jaemin lovingly argued about how to put the coffee table together. <br/>Mark and Hyuck tried to put together the dining table. They didn't fight but definitely made passive aggressive remarks to each other. Once they got some things together they decided to watch a movie.<br/> They put blankets and pillows on the floor, because the couches weren't being delivered until the next day. Mark ordered pizza and they drank beer and all watched a thriller. <br/>Mark looked around and was so happy his friends could enjoy their time at his place. He was happy to provide for his friends and also to provide and love Hyuck. It was that moment that he decided he wanted to marry Hyuck, in front of all of his friends. <br/>Mark leaned over and kissed Hyuck's cheek. Hyuck smiled at him, then continued watching.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey! Thanks for reading and giving me kudos. For those who bookmarked my story, when would you like me to update? Like weekly? Or twice a week? I have all of it written I just need to edit it. Leave your answers in the comments! Thank you! 😊</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The proposal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soon it was fall and Hyuck started a more busy schedule. Mark continued working 9-5 Hyuck tried to set his schedule so he would get to see Mark more.<br/>
Soon it was their 5th anniversary and Hyuck was coming back from his last class. He unlocked the door to the apartment.<br/>
When he walked in Mark was already there. He was sitting on the couch whispering something to himself.<br/>
"Hey babe!" Hyuck said as he took his shoes off. Mark hid something in his pocket quickly and stood up and faced him.<br/>
"Hi." Mark said, still having his suit jacket on from work, but his tie was off.<br/>
"How was work?" Hyuck hugged Mark, "you're back early." Mark held him.<br/>
"It was okay. How was school?"<br/>
"It was okay. The Winter concert preparation is in full swing now." Mark kissed him on the cheek.<br/>
"Can't wait to hear you." Hyuck smiled softly.<br/>
"You can hear me anytime you want, babe."<br/>
"I'm lucky then." Mark kissed him softly. "let's go out tonight. "<br/>
"Okay. Where?"<br/>
"It's a secret."<br/>
"Okay. Let me get ready." Hyuck went into the bathroom. Mark brought the letter he had in his pocket and tried to memorize it. He was extremely nervous.<br/>
Hyuck walked out in black jeans and a buttoned up purple shirt that had little stars on them.<br/>
"Ready!" Mark smiled at him. They left their apartment. Mark told Hyuck to close his eyes in the hallway.<br/>
"What? But we still have to get there?" Hyuck pouted. "I wanta see your face."<br/>
"Just do it. Please, Hyuckie?" Mark gave him puppy dog eyes. Hyuck sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. Mark led him into the elevator and pushed the 12th floor button.<br/>
"This better be good." Hyuck said as he tapped his foot on the ground. The elevator dinged and Mark led him out and then to a small stairwell.<br/>
"We are gonna go up stairs. Be careful." Mark led him up the stairs. Then they went through a door and Hyuck could feel the cool air on his skin. They walked a few more steps then stopped.<br/>
"Open your eyes." Hyuck uncovered his eyes to see that they were on the roof. A picnic blanket and cushions were placed on the ground. Above the blanket was twinkle lights, strung on the electric wires. There was a bottle of wine and a picnic basket on the blanket as well. Hyuck smiled at him. "what do you think?"<br/>
"I love it. Thanks for making it." Hyuck kissed Mark on the cheek. Mark smiled softly. They walked to the picnic basket and got out the food. There was a salad, a pasta dish with cheese on top, braised ribs, and chocolate covered strawberries.<br/>
They began to eat and drink some wine. Hyuck seemed to be staring at Mark any chance he got. Mark looked like he was having fun, but he also looked worried? Nervous?<br/>
"This is so good. Did you make it?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Yeah, Taeyong helped me cook." Mark put some classical music on his phone and set his phone aside. Hyuck stood up and motioned for Mark to stand up as well. Mark took his hand and stood up.<br/>
"Let's dance." Hyuck said with a bright smile.<br/>
"What? Why?" Hyuck rolled his eyes and pulled him close.  Mark smiled. Mark put his hands on Hyuck's waist, Hyuck put his around Mark's neck. They swayed back and forth looking into each other's eyes. Mark spun Hyuck around. Then he pulled him back in and placed a kiss  on his lips.<br/>
"Happy 5 years." Mark whispered. Hyuck smiled.<br/>
"Happy 5 years." Hyuck kissed Mark, biting his lip slightly. Mark smiled against his lips. They danced a while more than laid on the picnic blanket and looked up at the stars.<br/>
They could only see a few stars, but the sky was clear. The stars twinkled along with the lights strung up. They intertwined their hands together.<br/>
"Thanks for a great 5 years." Hyuck said quietly. Mark turned towards Hyuck, looking at the sparkle in his eyes.<br/>
"Hyuck?" Hyuck turned towards him and smiled. "I, uh… " Mark squirmed under his gaze. "I love you."<br/>
"I love you too, babe." Hyuck smiled.<br/>
"No, but I uh, need you. Dang it…" Mark forgot all the words he memorized just a few hours before. Hyuck looked at him, confused. Mark sat up. Hyuck sat up as well. "I need you. I can't imagine life without you. I love coming home to you, I love cooking with you and even just doing work in the same room." Hyuck smiled softly. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Hyuck looked confused again. Mark held Hyuck's hands and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a box. Hyuck gasped quietly.<br/>
"Lee Donghyuck, will you marry me?" Mark opened the box to reveal his grandfather's ring, but engraved on it was a sun and some delicate sunflowers. Hyuck smiled brightly and lunged forward to hug Mark.<br/>
"Yes, yes. I'd love to." Hyuck said, tears welling up in his eyes. Mark hugged him tightly. Hyuck pulled out of the hug and kissed Mark with force. He wanted to show how much he wanted to marry him. They pulled apart and Mark wiped away a tear on Hyuck's face. "I love you so much." Mark smiled.<br/>
"Want to put it on?" Mark asked. Hyuck nodded. He slipped the ring onto Hyuck's small hand.<br/>
"Is this my grandfather's?"<br/>
"Yeah. Your grandmother gave it to me over the summer. I modified it…"<br/>
"I love it!" Hyuck hugged Mark again. Tears started welling up in his eyes and this time a few tears spilled out. He loved that he had a bit of his grandfather in the ring.<br/>
"Happy tears?" Mark asked.<br/>
"Happy tears." Hyuck replied, looking at the ring. He kissed Mark delicately. "I'm lucky to have you."<br/>
"I'm the lucky one." Mark kissed him. They ended the day looking at the stars and placing soft kisses on the others lips.</p><p>The next day they got a lot of congratulation calls and texts. They tried to reply to all of them. Sadly they had to go to work and school the next day, but Hyuck didn't care because he got to spend the rest of his life with Mark.<br/>
That Saturday Taeyong and Ten hosted an engagement party at their house. They invited everyone of their friends. And some family members. Taeyong and Kun baked cupcakes that looked like wedding rings and they told the story of how Mark proposed.<br/>
They celebrated with a toast and then a lot of the family members left and it was just their friends, sitting around a campfire.<br/>
"I can't believe we are going to have two married couples in our friend circle now!" Jungwoo said, raising his beer.<br/>
"Yeah, dang. We are growing up." Johnny said.<br/>
Hyuck snuggled into Mark's arm. Mark smiled and patted Hyuck on the head.<br/>
"I can't believe my baby brother is getting married." Taeyong said as he squeezed Ten's hand.<br/>
"He's not a baby anymore, he's 23." Jisung said.<br/>
"He'll always be my baby." Taeyong said confidently.<br/>
"Like you'll always be mine, jisungie!" Jaemin said. Jisung rolled his eyes.<br/>
Mark listened to the conversation and smiled. He was so happy right now. He was surrounded by his friends, who helped him celebrate getting engaged. And most importantly his fiance was by his side. Mark hissed Hyuck on the top of his head and Hyuck smiled. Everything seemed peaceful. </p><p>Fall passed quickly and now it was finals week. Hyuck had been studying consistently for a few days. Mark made sure he slept and ate.<br/>
Hyuck came back from his last final to Mark cooking in the kitchen. He took his shoes off and his coat. He went up to Mark and hugged him from behind. He had a stressful day, he could feel the stress oozing out of him as he hugged him. Mark turned his head to see him and smiled.<br/>
"How did it go?"<br/>
"It went okay. I'm just glad it's over." Hyuck said with a sigh. Mark turned around and hugged him.<br/>
"That's good. I'm making your favorite." Hyuck smiled. He looked over at the food Mark was making. There was pork belly in the pan and several side dishes in other pans.<br/>
Hyuck went to wash up and Mark finished cooking. Hyuck set the table and then they started eating.<br/>
"This is so good. Thanks for cooking, babe." Hyuck said as he wrapped another pork belly piece in a sesame leaf.<br/>
"No problem." Mark poured them both a glass of peach soju. "Let's cheers." Hyuck held up his glass to Mark's.<br/>
"Cheers to Hyuckie finishing finals!" Mark said.<br/>
"Cheers to Winter break!" Hyuck said. They clinked their glasses together and drank. </p><p> </p><p>Mark decided to come with Hyuck to Korea for a week, then Mark would fly to London and Hyuck would stay in Korea for another week and meet Mark in London for a few days, then they would fly back to America before New year's.<br/>
They flew to Korea with Jeno, his mom, and their grandmother. </p><p>When they got there they went to the house and we're exhausted. Mark and Hyuck went up to his room and laid on the bed.<br/>
"I didn't sleep at all on the plane." Mark said.<br/>
"Awe, baby. Why not?" Hyuck patted Mark's back.<br/>
"I was reading work things." Mark snuggled into the pillow.<br/>
"Go to sleep then. " Hyuck snuggled up to him and ran his hands through his hair. Mark instantly fell asleep. </p><p>In the morning Mark had the day off so Hyuck and him decided to go visit his parents. They took the subway a few stops down. They got off and walked to the funeral home.<br/>
What was left of them was cremated when they had died. Mark and Hyuck had brought flowers to place. They walked into a building. It had blue walls and glass cases that held pictures of loved ones and their keepsakes. Hyuck went to one in the middle of the wall. It held a picture of his mom and dad.<br/>
His father was tall and had a mustache. He had the same hair color as Hyuck and the same nose.<br/>
His mother was beautiful. She had long dark brown hair. Her eyes were the same as Hyuck's, light brown. She also smiled like Hyuck, dimples and all.<br/>
"Hi eomma. Hi appa." He said to the pictures. He placed the flowers in the box next to a vase that held their remains. "This is Mark, my fiance."<br/>
"Hi." Mark said awkwardly.<br/>
"Isn't that crazy? We are going to get married. Don't worry, he's nice. He's also smart and rich!" Hyuck smiled at the picture. Mark smiled as well. "It's officially my last semester of college. I don't know what to do after I graduate yet, but I became a singer like you, eomma." Mark put his arm around Hyuck. "I wish you guys could be there for our wedding." Hyuck looked down.<br/>
"They'll be there in spirit I'm sure." Hyuck nodded slightly. "Mr. And Mrs. Lee, thank you for raising Hyuck to be the man I love. I will take care of him." Hyuck smiled at him. "We will make sure to come see you after the wedding. Hyuck is really a good singer, I'm sure you were too, Mrs. Lee."<br/>
"She was the best." Hyuck added.<br/>
They talked to them for a while, making jokes along the way. As they were leaving Mark whispered to Hyuck's parents.<br/>
"I'll try to make him happy. Don't worry too much." Hyuck heard it and smiled. They walked to the subway, holding hands.<br/>
"Thank you."<br/>
"For?" Mark asked, watching the train go by.<br/>
"For talking to my parents, and telling them about yourself. It made me feel really loved." Hyuck squeezed his hand. Mark smiled.<br/>
"Good, because you are loved. So much." Mark kissed him on the cheek. Hyuck smiled.<br/>
“What did I do to deserve you?” Hyuck whispered.<br/>
“Nothing. But I will sacrificially love you.”<br/>
“And I will do the same to you.” Hyuck replied. Soon their train arrived and they got on. They got off on a different station on Hyuck’s request. They arrived in a small neighborhood.</p><p>“Why’d we come here?” Mark asked. There were small shops lining the streets. No one else was out since it was winter and it was below freezing.<br/>
“I wanted to show you something.” Hyuck said as he led him to a hill where there was a house. The house looked brand new. It was modern compared to the other houses on the street. “This is where my childhood home stood.” Mark looked up, the hill had beautiful cherry blossom trees surrounding it. The house had two stories and was painted a light gray. “My pet cat is buried under that tree.” He pointed to one of the cherry blossoms.<br/>
“You had a cat?”<br/>
“Yep, his name was Gochujang because he was ginger, but we called him Jang. My Eomma got it for me after she had a miscarriage.” Mark frowned. He hadn’t known he had a sibling who didn’t survive.<br/>
“That must have been hard.”<br/>
“Not for me, I was only 3. But my Eomma and Appa were pretty sad about it.” Mark wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. Hyuck smiled and stared at the house.<br/>
“Thanks for letting me into your childhood.” Mark kissed his neck softly. Hyuck smiled and turned around.<br/>
“Thanks for listening.” They walked to a noodle shop and got noodle soup. After that they went back to Hyuck’s family house. </p><p>The next few days were spent well. Mark had a couple meetings to go to but he mostly worked from home so Hyuck could be there. They went to many restaurants and went to the Han river so many times. They also spent time with Jeno and beat him in a video game. They had a christmas celebration and went to Hyuck’s childhood church. Everyone there remembered Hyuck and was happy he was engaged. Soon Mark had to go to London for a special meeting. Hyuck didn’t want him to leave.<br/>
"Babe, I have to go." Mark said, trying to pry off the man who was hugging him.<br/>
"Don't go. " Hyuck said into Mark's chest.<br/>
"I know you don't want me to, but I have a flight and have to prepare for the meeting." Mark said, Hyuck finally released his grip on him. Hyuck sighed. 
"Okay, bye." Mark picked up his backpack and put it on and held his suitcase handle in his hand. Hyuck wrapped his arms loosely around his waist. Hyuck kissed him slowly. Mark let go of his suitcase and cupped Hyuck's cheeks in his hands. Hyuck pulled him in closer so they pressed up against each other. Hyuck bit Mark's lip causing him to let out a small noise. Hyuck slowly pulled away. Mark's lip looked slightly swollen from kissing hard and from Hyuck's nibble. 
"Goodbye kiss?" 
"No, it was a 'you'll get the rest when I go to London' kiss." Mark smiled.
"I wish I could have it now.. but I have to go." 
"Okay." Hyuck let go of his waist. "Be safe. I love you." 
"I love you too, babe." Mark placed a small kiss on his lips then left.
Mark spent a week there, helping with the London stores. After his father found out he loved Hyuck he was demoted, but his father gave him a promotion. So he was now an executive manager of a sector of branches. Mark hadn’t told his father he was engaged yet. He spent the week at meetings and in stores, trying to help them switch to a different system. He met up with some friends from other branches occasionally. Soon Hyuck joined him in London.<br/>
Mark had a day off so he could sitesee with him.<br/>
They went on the eye of London, The London bridge and walked along the river thames. The next day Mark went to work early. He was in meetings all morning and was going to work through lunch so he could go home early. Hyuck called him.<br/>
"Hello?" Mark put his phone between his shoulder and cheek so he could carry the paperwork he had to his temporary office.<br/>
"Hey. Did you eat lunch yet?" Hyuck asked. It sounded like he was outside because you could hear cars pass.<br/>
"No. I was just going to grab something and eat at my desk. Why?" Mark set his paperwork down.<br/>
"Come to the lobby."<br/>
"Huh, why?" Mark asked.<br/>
"Just come down." Hyuck hung up. Mark sighed and went down in the elevator. He went through security and then went into the lobby. He found Hyuck standing there with a bag. Mark smiled.<br/>
"What're you doing here?" Mark said, walking over to him.<br/>
"I came to surprise you with a home cooked lunch." Hyuck said handing the bag to him.<br/>
"Thank you." Mark gave Hyuck a peck on the cheek. Hyuck smiled.<br/>
"No problem. When do you think you'll be home?" Hyuck asked.<br/>
"Uh, Mark looked at his watch. Well, I think I'll be done around 4?"<br/>
"Okay. I'll see you then! Enjoy your lunch, babe." Hyuck gave him a quick kiss. Mark smiled.<br/>
"Min-Hyung." A familiar voice said from behind Mark. Hyuck froze. Mark turned around. It was his father.<br/>
"Father, I didn't know you were in London." Mark stiffened slightly.<br/>
"I'm here for the big meeting tomorrow. I thought I'd stop by to see how you were." His father looked over to Hyuck, "I see, you are having fun." He said with distain.<br/>
"Hyuck came to bring me lunch." Mark said, staring straight at his father.<br/>
"Hello, Mr. Lee." Hyuck said with a small bow.<br/>
"Donghyuck." He said as if it were a greeting. His father saw the ring on his finger and one on Mark's too. "Mark. I need to talk to you privately."<br/>
"Uh, okay. I'll see you later, Hyuck." Hyuck nodded and left.<br/>
They walked up to his office in silence. Mark's dad closed the door behind him and closed the blinds.<br/>
"Min-Hyung." He said in a daring tone. "Are you married to Donghyuck?" He had a growl under his voice.<br/>
"Not yet." Mark didn't want to back down. He tried to stand his ground. "We're engaged."<br/>
"Min-Hyung. I told you that you reflect my company. You cannot marry some man!"<br/>
"He is not some man. He is my fiance and I love him." His father glared at him. "I'm an adult, sir. I can marry who I want."<br/>
"Not when you work for me." His father said in a low tone.<br/>
"Then, I quit." Mark said as he walked out of his office. He heard his father call after him, but he ignored him. He was so mad. How could his father tell him who to marry? How could his father not want the best for him. He was happy. Isn't that all that mattered?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Wedding Disaster</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I quit." Hyuck nearly dropped the plate he was holding.<br/>"What?" <br/>"I quit, my dad was trying to tell me that I couldn't marry you. "  Mark sat down at the table nearby.<br/>"Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come to your work…" <br/>"No, it's not your fault. He was trying to control me with this job. It's good that I quit." Mark played with the drawstring on his PJ pants. "I also held a lot of emotions in. That's why I cried so much." <br/>"Hmmm." Hyuck put food on the table. Eggs, rice porridge and seaweed. Mark smiled at him.<br/>"Thanks." Mark said.<br/>"You're welcome." Hyuck kissed Mark on the cheek then sat down across from him. "what have you been keeping in?" <br/>"Uh," mark finished chewing some eggs. "I think I was mad that I cared about my father's approval. I also was stressed from work and hadn't let it out. " Hyuck nodded.<br/>"It makes sense that you want your father's approval. He <em>is</em> your father." Mark nodded slightly and ate the rice porridge. <br/>"I think I've just been holding in all of my negative emotions." Mark said quietly. He felt stupid for making himself suffer more than he needed to. <br/>"It's okay. I do that too." Hyuck held his hand across the table. "But now you can tell me. When you have a negative emotions you can come to me and tell me or just cry. I'll always be there for you." Mark smiled at him.<br/>"Okay, I'll try." </p><p>After they ate Mark got on his laptop to finish some work and send his teammates things. He didn't want to leave them hanging even if he suddenly quit on a whim. <br/>After that him and Hyuck snuggled and watched a movie. Their flight was tomorrow, so they stayed in and packed up. <br/>"Should I talk to my father before we leave?" Mark asked as he zipped up his suitcase.<br/>"If you want to. You could always talk to him later." Hyuck put his clothes in his bag. <br/>"Yeah, I think I need a bit of time…" Mark suddenly got up and hugged Hyuck from behind. "I can't wait to marry you." Mark said as he leaned his head on his shoulder. Hyuck smiled. <br/>"Me too." They hadn't even discussed when they wanted to get married. Hyuck only had two courses the next semester and one of them was online. Hyuck really loved spring so maybe they would do it then. They didn't want a huge wedding so they weren't rushing. <br/>"Babe?" <br/>"Hmm?" Hyuck continued packing with Mark still hugging him from behind.<br/>"When do you want to get married?" Hyuck thought for a moment.<br/>"I don't care. As soon as you want to."<br/>"I want to everyday." Mark whispered. Hyuck smiled.<br/>"Okay, well let's just pick a month. What about May?" <br/>"That's so far away… " Hyuck smiled at him being pouty.<br/>"I know, but we actually need to plan something. May 17th?" <br/>"Fine." Mark kissed Hyuck on the neck. Hyuck smiled. <br/>"Jeno and Jaem will help me make invitations." <br/>"Good idea. How about we have it outside?"<br/>"Love that idea! In a park? What about that one close to your house?" <br/>"Breland park?" <br/>"Yeah."<br/>"Sure. That sounds nice. They also have pavilions for events. We could have snacks and stuff after there."<br/>"Yeah! Honestly we won't have that many people. Maybe 50?" <br/>"Yeah. Just our friends and family. Maybe less than that, I doubt my grandfather or my father will come." Hyuck turned around to look at Mark, he was looking at the floor. <br/>"Hey." Hyuck lifted Mark's head by his chin. "It doesn't matter if they come. We are getting married." Mark smiled. <br/>"Yeah." Mark kissed Hyuck, Hyuck kissed back and put his hands around Mark's neck. "I love you. A lot."<br/>"I love you too." Hyuck smiled and kissed him again. <br/>_________________________________________<br/>They made it back to USA safely. They celebrated new year's with Jeno, Jaemin and Taeyong and Ten. <br/>Soon a new semester was in full swing. Hyuck liked the lighter class load but he also had a bunch of performances to prepare for. <br/>Mark got a job at a publishing company. He was an assistant editor. He liked his job and it payed decently. He wasn't worried about money because he had saved up a lot. <br/>Hyuck got a part time job at a restaurant to be the live musician. He only worked Wednesday and Friday night, but he got a lot of money in Tips. Mark would come see him every Friday night. Sometimes he brought their friends. Most of the time he came with Ten and Taeyong. Sometimes Hyuck would sing a love song and make eye contact with Mark. Mark loved when he did that. He felt totally smitten by him.</p><p>Soon it was the night before the wedding. <br/>Mark was at a hotel with Taeyong, Jaemin, Yukhei, and Johnny. While Hyuck was in another room with Jeno, Jungwoo, Renjun, and Taeil. <br/>Mark and his friends were drinking and dancing around in the hotel suite. Just having some fun before the wedding.<br/>"Hey, we should make a video. To like send to Hyuck after the wedding." Johnny exclaimed. <br/>"Yeah!" Yukhei shouted. So they made a video dancing to let me love you. They made confetti and threw it above Mark. They also had a dance off in the middle of the video. Which was mostly just Lucas and Johnny trying to compete.<br/>Mark fell on the couch, laughing at something Johnny said. He was happy. He was with his closest friends and he was going to marry Hyuck. Mark looked at his friends. Yukhei was dancing wildly and somehow in sync with Johnny's dances. Jaemin was laughing hard on the ground. Taeyong sat next to Mark and put his arm around him.<br/>"You ready?" <br/>"Yeah." Mark said quietly. He was so ready to marry Hyuck. "Thanks for being my best man, Hyung." Taeyong smiled softly.<br/>"Thanks for asking." He kissed Mark on the top of his head. Mark smiled. <br/>They spent the rest of the night watching movies and laughing. They tried to watch the stupidest movies they could find. One was about a zombie beaver, that left everyone in stitches.</p><p>They woke up around 9am to get ready. Breakfast was delivered to their door. They all ate and started getting ready. Mark sat down on the couch. He really wanted to see how Hyuck was doing. He felt the need to be close to him. Maybe it was his nerves or something else, but he wanted to protect Hyuck.<br/>"You okay?" Jaemin asked him.<br/>"Hmmm… yeah. I have a weird feeling." Jaemin sat next to Mark.<br/>"It's probably just nerves. You are getting married today." Mark nodded. "Come on, get ready. We have to be at the venue at 11:45." Mark got up and got dressed. He put his tie on and did his hair. <br/>"You look good, Mark!" Yukhei said. "How do you feel?" <br/>"Nervous… can I call Hyuck real quick?" They all nodded.<br/>"He might be busy though." Johnny added. Mark went off into the bedroom area and called him. <br/>"Hello?" Mark sighed in relief at the sound of his voice.<br/>"Hi." <br/>"What're you doing calling me before our wedding, babe?" <br/>"Uh, I was worried. I'm okay now. I just wanted to hear your voice." Hyuck smiled.<br/>"I'm fine, Mark. I can't wait to see you." Someone in the background called Hyuck's name. "I gotta go. See you soon, babe!" <br/>"See you soon." Hyuck hung up. Mark walked out of the bedroom. <br/>"Everything good?" Taeyong asked. <br/>"Yeah." Mark smiled. He felt better after the phone call, but the uneasy feeling still remained. <br/>They all got ready and then hopped into the car. Taeyong was driving. They talked about how great the wedding will be and how they'll miss Mark when he's on the honeymoon. The uneasy feeling in Mark's stomach grew as time passed. He felt as if he would throw up at any given moment. He waved it off as nerves.<br/>Soon they were at the venue and they did last minute outfit things like tie their ties and such. They chatted as they waited. Hyuck's party would arrive in an hour and then there would be 45 minutes of waiting and then they were going to be wed. </p><p>Time passed quickly and it was 30 minutes until the ceremony. Mark's stomach was in knots. Yukhei tried to calm him down while Jaemin brought him water. Taeyong got a call and Mark's heart sped up.<br/>"Hello?" Taeyong said. His face deadpanned and he stepped out of the room. Mark knew something was wrong. Jaemin and Johnny tried not to react to the way Taeyong left. It felt like Taeyong was outside the room for an hour, but it was only 5 minutes. Mark really felt like throwing up now.  Taeyong walked back into the room. <br/>"That was, uh, Taeil." Taeyong looked at the floor. Mark's heart was about to burst. "Their car got in a car accident. A truck rammed into their side. Taeil only had minor injuries, Jungwoo and Hyuck had it the worst as they were sitting on the side that the truck rammed into… "</p>
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